


Xion: Heart of Nothing

by WavesBlade



Series: Road to Dusk [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Betrayal, Darkness, Deception, F/M, Self-Sacrifice, Tragedy, light - Freeform, nothingness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-01 19:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 104,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11493051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WavesBlade/pseuds/WavesBlade
Summary: Overall, I'm... somewhat satisfied with how this story came out. I still don't think, like with book 2, it was as good as book 1, but I feel that it was a bit more focused and less all over the place than book 2. IDK how well I stuck the final battle/end of the chapter. Unlike in cannon, the Artificial Kingdom Hearts never had a chunk blown out of it via Ansem's data machine thing, allowing Xehanort to try and control a fully powered KH. He'd need it obviously, to stand up to his four opponents.Xehanort needed to:A) Be strong enough to hold his own/overpower them.B) Kill Aqua/Xigbar (For obvious reasons that most people in the story don't understand yet).C) Still die at the end.Not sure how well I finished it. Has a slight Deus Ex Machina feel to me, but, no more than book 2's ending I suppose. Though, that did happen in cannon VS Ansem SoD.*shrug*So anyway, rambling aside, tell me how you all think I did on book 3.What went right?What went wrong?What could have been better?Epilogue and Secret Movie coming up next.





	1. A New Existence

_A girl, with black hair, blue eyes, and a soft face in a black coat suddenly found herself laying on a strange platform. She could see something painted on it, but it was hard to see what was drawn while on it. She blinked once, blinked twice, and then sat up, recognizing something. She had thoughts... she could see... she was... alive? She existed? Before this moment, there had been... nothing..._

_She struggled to think, but there was just emptiness when she tried to dig into her memories..._

_"They're not YOUR memories to dig into, so stay out!" came a hostile voice._

_The girl looked up, startled. "W-who?"_

_Across the platform, with their back turned to her, was a figure in red and white armor, maybe a girl. She had her arms crossed infront of her. She had short red hair, but, she couldn't tell anything else about the girl's appearance, except maybe she was young, early teens. Her stance gave of the impression she was angry, frustrated... and maybe hurt._

_She blinked a few times, registering what the girl had said. "What do you mean...?"_

_Silence was her response._

_"Do you... do you know who I am?" she asked, she begged the red-haired girl._

_Silence._

_"Please... I... I can't remember anything, who... who am I?" she begged again._

_"A puppet," spat the red-haired girl, frustrated, "That's what he called you. In truth, you're a parasite, trying to steal what's mine. I can feel it, but I won't let him win. So stay the hell away from me!"_

_The black-haired girl rose to her feet, lost and confused. "I don't understand... I haven't done anything... why..."_

_She took a step forward. "Why are you so angry with me?"_

_She took another step forward. "Why did you call me a..."_

_"Stay BACK!" shouted the red-haired girl, a bright light emanating out of her._

_The black haired girl crossed her arms in-front of her and cried out as the light blasted her back and off the platform..._

* * *

She gave a startled cry and sat up, gasping.

She clutched a hand to her chest, breathing in and out heavily, glancing around. "Where...?"

She was in a strange, blank white and gray room filled with mostly empty beds. There were a few other people there, all in black cloaks, laying down on the beds. Walking back and forth between various beds was, oddly enough, a small female humanoid mouse also in a black cloak.

"Umm," the girl began, raising her voice a bit.

The mouse turned to her. "You are awake."

The girl frowned. Empty... that voice... it sounded so empty, and the mouse's eyes... were empty as well. What was wrong with her?

"Who... are you?" asked the girl.

The mouse walked over. "I am Mixenin, chief medic of the entire Organization and overseer of all branches medical officers. I was told you were found earlier today and brought in."

"Found...?" asked the girl.

"A newly formed Nobody," said Mixenin, "Though, the one who found you said you seemed unstable. Tell me, what can you remember of your previous life?"

The girl looked at the mouse, lost. "Nobody...? Previous life...?"

The mouse stared at her patiently. "A Nobody is a person whose heart was stolen by the Heartless and consumed by darkness. We are the bodies that are left behind if the will of our former selves were powerful enough. The most powerful or willful of us retain our forms with some changes, and continue to act with a will of our own. However, without our hearts, we cannot feel, though, we can at least remember what it was like to feel."

The girl absorbed the information slowly. "I'm... a Nobody?"

She refocused on the question she had been asked. "I... I can't... remember anything..."

Mixenin hummed softly. "Interesting. You are the first case with complete amnesia. Of the few who do forget, most only forget bits and pieces, or, a certain part of their lives."

The girl bowed her head. "Oh... is... there a way for me to remember? And... is there a way for a us to regain our hearts?"

The mouse nodded but did not answer, instead, she walked to the front of the room, to a desk, and hopped up onto a chair. She used the desk to pull her closer before pushing a button on it.

A panel on the desk opened up, and a phone rose out of it, she grabbed it, dialed a number, and spoke into it, "Superior, you asked to be notified when our newest arrival awoke. She is now awake."

The mouse listened for a moment before replying to whatever she heard, "Very well."

The mouse put the phone away and turned towards the girl. "The Superior will be down to personally see you soon, eventually, he will explain our purpose and goal."

"Oh umm... okay. Whose the Superior?" asked the girl.

Mixenin frowned at her. "The Superior of the In-Between is the leader of the Organization, and personally leads the Core of the Organization, our most powerful members. He is the one who gathered all Nobodies together and gave them purpose, to seek out a way to reclaim our hearts. We, who have been abandoned by light and darkness, would have been torn apart in the darkness that had been swallowing the worlds had we remained alone. Together, here, in the World That Never Was, we have instead thrived."

The girl absorbed the information before nodding. "Okay so... our boss then?"

Mixenin nodded, but pointed a warning finger at her. "Yes, but, you, as a new Nobody, should speak to him with due respect and address him as Superior. Even if we cannot feel, we live by a set of rules of behavior and comradeship. Our society functions on this."

The girl nodded. "Okay."

Mixenin studied her. "I'll admit, if I had a heart, I'd feel curiosity as to why the Superior wishes to see you. Tending to newer Nobodies is a duty of the lower branches of the Organization."

The girl shrugged. "I don't know."

Mixenin hopped back down and started towards the nearest occupied bed. "Then we have nothing further to discuss."

The girl frowned briefly. That was kind of rude...

She watched the mouse leap onto beds, aiming her hand at the occupants, a strange green glow coating her hand. "What's that glow?"

"Cure magic," answered the mouse before pausing, "You don't know of magic?"

The girl shook her head. "It doesn't seem familiar."

The mouse resumed healing. "Either your world lacked it, our your previous self was very unskilled with it."

_Hey! I heard that!_

The girl froze. Did... she just hear a girl's voice in her head? She glanced at the mouse, but she didn't seem to have heard it. She hesitated briefly before trying to talk to the voice.

Hello?

She waited, but there was no response.

Maybe it was just her imagination...

She paused, feeling a powerful sensation drawing closer to the room.

She paused her thoughts when a slightly hunched over man in a black cloak stepped into her room.

_It's... HIM..._

That voice again...

The girl felt a tightness in her chest at the sight of the cloaked man. What was this sensation?

"So, you've awakened at last young one," came an old, raspy voice.

"Are you... the Superior?" asked the girl.

He nodded. "Indeed I am. I have personally come to welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen ones into our ranks."

Her eyes furrowed. "Keyblade...?

Her eyes went wide as pain racked through her chest. She clutched both it, and her head, as a memory suddenly flashed through her mind. She saw through the eyes of another... or was it herself? She saw herself raise a hand out before, and in it appeared a weapon, a blade shaped like a key...

_FLASH!_

She blinked, finding herself holding her hand out just like in the memory. In her hands was a key. It was almost entirely pure white The grip as silvery, and to the side protectively as a guard were two white wings. Connecting the handle to the blade, was a white heart with two silvery spikes pointing out. The blade itself was two straight sharp metal parts, connecting at the end, having a strange looking blue, purple, and yellow star like end as the 'key' part of the Keyblade. Finally, attached to the bottom of the Keyblade was a chain leading down to a pink charm like object with a blue leaf.

The Superior chuckled. "As I said, one of the Keyblade's chosen."

She stared at the Keyblade, baffled. "I don't... understand... what is this thing? Why do I have it?"

The Superior studied her briefly. "Can you remember what it's called?"

Her eyes furrowed in concentration. "I... its..."

She felt like she was struggling against something for the knowledge, it was a bizarre sensation. She had no memories, yet... now that she had the Keyblade in her hand, she felt like she could pull them from somewhere... it was such an oddity...

"It's... Oathkeeper," she whispered.

The Superior nodded, a cruel smirk showing on what part of his face she could see. "Good, very good."

She repeated her earlier question. "What is a Keyblade, and why do I have it?"

Once again, the man avoided the question. "Tell me, child, do you remember your true name?"

The girl's eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't answering her question, and for some reason, it left a twisting, fiery feeling in her chest, was it... anger? No, they told her she was a Nobody and she couldn't feel. Maybe she just remembered what it meant to be angry. The action of someone keeping something from her... the sensation it left in her chest was one she did not like. Had it happened before?

"Well?" asked the Superior.

She refocused and tried to remember, but unlike the name of the Keyblade, she could not get a grip on the thought, the memory, the name, if she had one at all. It was blocked off, and it actually gave her kind of a headache to try and force it.

"No, I don't," she mumbled.

The old man chuckled. "Then until you do, your name and purpose will be devoted onto the will of the Organization, to help us restore our lost hearts."

The girl shrugged. "Okay."

Didn't seem like a bad thing, to help people get their hearts back.

_Idiot, if HE'S involved, I doubt getting people their hearts back is his true goal._

She was starting to grow wary of the voice randomly speaking in her head...

The man waved a hand out before her, and letters formed in the air, she read them off, "X-I-O-N."

"Xion," she said softly, "Is that... my name?"

"Until you claim your original name for your own, it will be," answered the Superior, that cruel smile showing under his hood once again.

_My name, will NEVER be hers..._

Xion ignored the voice and nodded, feeling a bit... light and fluttery... to have a name. "Okay, Xion it is."

The Superior beckoned her. "Come Xion, it's time to introduce you to your comrades."

Xion reflexively dismissed her Keyblade and then stared at her empty hand, not sure how she did that. She shook her head and walked after the Superior, before pausing.

She turned back. "Goodby Mixenin."

The mouse glanced at her and tilted her head curtly, but said nothing in response. Xion turned back and started after the Superior. She followed him through a huge, empty and blank building. There was so much gray and white here, it was kind of off-putting. Where was the color to it all? Or... did Nobodies not care about such things? She followed silently, her chest feeling tighter and tighter as she strode through the empty building. It wasn't empty in the sense it lacked people, there were many people in black cloaks walking about, along with gray and white creatures scattered around. It was just... the feeling of this place she guessed.

Finally, they stepped into a room with a circular raised platform. Above it, towering into the sky, were many raised thrones. The Superior led her up a set of stairs and into the middle of the circular platform before vanishing, teleporting up to sit on the topmost throne. Xion glanced around. Each and every throne save for one had a person on them garbed in the same black cloak, all staring down at her with empty curiosity. The power the collective group gave of was staggering, enough to send a tingling sensation down her spine...

The Superior spoke, drawing her attention. "Good tidings friends. Today is a momentous occasion. I am pleased to announce, that at long last, a new comrade has finally been chosen to fill the last throne, and complete the Core Organization's numbers, to bear our coat. Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen into our mists. Xion, number thirteen, the Key of Heart."

Key of Heart?

_Pff. He thinks he's clever with that title doesn't he?_

Xion wondered, briefly, if she was a little crazy to be hearing a voice in her head.

She looked up and around, eying her fellow comrades curiously. She paused briefly at one of them, a man with pink hair. While the color wasn't familiar, something about his presence tugged at her. Had she met him before... in her previous life?

_Marluxia... so, I finally figured out... what he wanted with... that data of me..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. Why did the voice suddenly sound so tired? She blinked and felt the tightness in her chest relax. She listened for the voice, but it was gone, as if sleeping. She refocused, noting that the pink man, Marluxia, had a faint grin on his face, looking down at her. For some reason, it seemed almost... off-putting... though she couldn't quite put a finger on why...

"Please Xion, have a seat," said the Superior, motioning to the empty throne.

Xion walked to the edge, vaulted off the platform, and moved to sit down on the throne. It rose slowly and steadily, coming off the floor, but still stayed a bit under the other lowest throne.

"The height of each throne represents your position, role, responsibility, power, and worth within the Core Organization. You, as our newest member, of course have much yet to prove to us," said the Superior, "Your number on the other hand simply refers to when you joined us."

Xion nodded. "Okay."

"I believe, it is common courtesy to introduce ones selves to their new comrade," said the Superior, his eyes slowly passing over those beneath him, "In order if you would."

A man with blond hair worn long and slicked back, a short mustache and goatee, and bright orange introduced himself. "Number two, Mesaxn, the Wise."

The next was a man with black dreadlocks and thick sideburns, his violet eyes seemed exceptionally cold. "Number three, Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer."

The next was a man with long blonde hair and green eyes on an inquisitive face, yet, the way his eyes gleamed and he grinned at her made her slightly uneasy. "I am Number four, Vexen, the Unremitting Academic."

The next was a man was a strongly built one, even through his cloak. He had a strong set chin and heavy face, blue eyes, and messy spiked ginger hair. "Lexaeus, number five, the Taciturn Stalwart."

The next was a younger man, steel blue hair with messy bangs covering the right side of his face, his eyes, a bright aqua. "Zexion, number six, the Cloaked Schemer.

The next was another young man, long frayed blue hair, an X shaped scar on his face, yellow piercing eyes judging her rather harshly. "Saix, number seven, the Luna Diver."

The next was a third young man, rather skinny, lighter skin than most, and super spiky red hair with bright emerald eyes, and... tear tatoes under them? Odd. The man seemed a bit bored, hardly paying attention, at least until Saix shot him a glare and coughed loudly.

The man blinked a few times before glancing down at Xion. "Oh, right. Names Axel, got it memorized?"

Xion blinked a few times, thrown by the sudden change in greetings. "Umm... sure?"

The man in the throne nearest to her, a guy with an eye-patch on a quick glance, laughed. "That's number eight, Flurry of the Prancing Flames."

That got a few snickers from the others.

Axel shot the man an undignified glare. "Hey! It's dancing, not prancing!"

"Then introduce yourself properly next time," said Saix, sighing afterwords.

The room settled down and the next person, a man with short platinum-blonde hair, electric blue eyes, and a number of peircings, flipping through cards in his lap, gave her a curt nod and spoke, "Number nine, Luxord, the Gambler of Fate."

The pink haired man she had taken note of before spoke next, "Marluxia, number ten, the Graceful Assasin."

Next was the only other woman in the room, bright-blonde slicked back hair with two strands oddly peeling back to hang behind her, her eyes were cyan, but utterly cruel looking. "Larxene, number eleven, the Savage Nymph."

On the twelfth throne next to Xion, sat a man with black hair and eye, an eye-patch over his right one, He had a heavy scar on the left side of his face. "Number twelve, Xigbar, the Freeshooter."

The man eyed the Superior briefly. "Free being the questionable term."

The Superior raised an eyebrow at him, but did not respond.

"Well, I'm Xion, number thirteen, the Key of Heart," recited Xion, figuring it was her turn.

Larxene snorted. "The Superior already introduced you, stupid kid."

Xion blinked a few times. "Oh, um, well... we were all going around, so I thought..."

"Ah give the kid a break Xene, she's newly born," said Axel, before shooting Xion a wink, "And probably not all there yet."

Xion gave him a blank and confused look.

The Superior looked at Axel, thoughtful for a moment. "Since you've volunteered, Axel, take number thirteen and introduce her to the World That Never Was."

Axel rolled his eyes. "What? Volunteered? Please. Why do I get the stuck with the newbie?"

The Superior gave him a hard look, making Axel sigh. "Fine fine, I get a week off in return, got it memorized?"

There were a couple of snickers and annoyed glares from others at Axel.

The Superior looked exasperated. "Why must you insist on pressing me every chance you get?"

Axel put his hands behind his head, 'leaned back' as much as he could in a stationary throne, rolled his eyes, and answered, "Why not?"

The Superior sighed before making a dismissive gesture with his hand, and vanished in a burst of dark energy. Most of the room's occupants followed suit, teleporting away. Only Axel and Marluxia remained.

Axel raised an eyebrow at his pink haired colleague. "Something you need Luxy boy?"

Marxluxia ignored him before smiling an almost menacing smile at Xion. "I simply with to give our newest colleague a _warm_ welcome and tell her that I look forward to seeing what she is capable of."

_WARP_

With that, he left.

Axel sighed and leaped off his throne, landing a bit away from Xion. "Lovely, you got pinky boy up there interested in you for some reason. Heck, the Superior and Vexen were giving you funny looks too. Can't say I envy you."

Xion climbed down from hers and asked, "Why not? Shouldn't I be happy that my colleagues are interested in me?"

Axel gave her a hard stare. "You're joking, right?"

"Umm... no?" she asked, a little confused.

Axel sighed. "Talk about naive with a capital N. You got a lot to learn kid about being part of the Organization, and being a Nobody. C'mon, let's hit the town."

"Hit the town?" she asked, following him out of the room.

"Well, city," he corrected, "You know what I mean."

"Umm...," she murmured, "Why would we go punch a city?"

"You're kidding right?" asked Axel, scratching the back of his head, "Hit the town means let's go chill."

"Why would I want to get cold?" she asked, baffled.

"Oh man...," said Axel, pausing to approach the nearest wall and hit his head against it, "I haven't seen a case this bad since... well ever. You're something kid."

She... really didn't get this guy. "Thanks...?"

Axel merely shook his head and started walking again. "Forget naive, your blank with a capital B."

Xion glanced herself over. "What's blank about me?"

Axel sighed. "We've got a lot of work to do with you, Xion."

"Well, that's why I was told to join, to work and help us all get our hearts back, and my memories," said Xion.

Axel glanced back briefly, "Don't remember anything?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Hmm, could be a good thing, could be a bad thing," said Axel, "Depends I suppose on what life you lived and how you were turned a Nobody."

She hadn't considered if she'd want to know her past or not, it was a curious thought. "What about you?"

Axel clenched his fists briefly. "Life was alright, but, got my heart ripped out and eaten right in front of me by one _scary_ heartless lady."

"Oh, sorry," said Xion.

Axel shrugged. "Eh, the past is the past, no point in dwelling on it."

Xion thought briefly, something about the term Heartless, seemed vaguely familiar, especially when paired with lady. "What about the woman who ate you're heart?"

"Thankfully, she bit it about a month or so ago, some kiddos with Keyblades took her out," said Axel, "Dunno how, but they did."

Keyblades, like her own? "I see. That's probably a good thing."

"No kidding," said Axel, "That heart happy psycho had to go. Don't know how anyone who was said to be good could have spawned that thing."

_It wasn't... her fault... she didn't mean for... all of this to happen..._

Xion paused, hearing the voice from earlier again. " _Hello?_ "

Again, nothing. She was tempted to ask Axel about it...

_Go ahead... if you want people to think... you're crazy..._

Hrm... the voice had a point there.

"Thankfully, her Nobody ain't half as crazy as her Heartless was, well, unless you do anything threatening towards her ward, then she gets _pissed_ ," said Axel, shivering a bit.

Xion paused. "So... Nobodies have ' _Heartless_ ' counterparts?"

Axel shrugged. "I guess, but most don't have humanoid ones, and wait, the way you said that, do you _NOT_ know what a Heartless is?"

Xion shook her head. "Nope."

"You know, scratch that, its a good thing you can't remember your past then," said Axel, "The Heartless ain't anything you want to remember."

She pondered the thought as they walked down the castle before pointing at one of the gray and white creatures. "Are those Heartless?"

Axel scoffed. "They're Dusks, lesser Nobodies."

"They're Nobodies too?" she asked.

Axel nodded. "Yeah, only the strongest or most willful of us get to stay human."

_Awful, they can't even be who they once were..._

Xion was inclined to agree with the voice. " _You're sounding a bit more energetic._ "

The voice scoffed. " _My strength comes and goes, I shouldn't even be awake now, but, SOMEONE keeps using and prying at my heart."_

Xion was a bit... light and fluttery... that the voice finally answered her, and made an offer, " _Really? Who? I could ask them to stop_."

_You're joking, right?_

" _Why would I be?_ " asked Xion.

The voice merely sighed, not responding otherwise.

Xion and Axel exited the castle, walking down a pathway of translucent turquoise light, entering into a city full of tall, almost ominous buildings. The number of Nobodies walking the streets seemed to multiply compared to the ones in the castle. Not to mention, for those who had human forms, their clothing changed. Few outside the castle seemed to bear a cloak, and those that did, seemed to be given a bit of respect and space from those who didn't. Like those in the castle though, all of them seemed just as empty.

_It's an awful fate, to be reduced to this, shells of their former selves, and probably being led by the nose by Xehanort to try to get back what they lost..._

" _Why do you think so ill of the Superior?_ " asked Xion, " _He gave me a nice welcome and made me part of the Organization when I had no memories and no one to guide me._ "

" _You're a fool and a leech, why wouldn't he be happy to have you?_ " was the voices only reply.

Xion wished the voice would stop being rude, but, didn't call her out on it.

"So, where are you going to show me first?" asked Xion.

"We're going to have a drink at Nobodies Heaven," said Axel.

"A drink?" she asked.

"Eh, on second thought, you're a kid, Xifta would throttle me if I tried to get you a beer, you can have orange juice or something," said Axel, "Not interested in getting momma bear mad."

"Momma bear?" asked Xion with confusion.

"You'll see, she likes to see every newcomer and try to make them 'feel' at home," said Axel.

"But... we can't feel," said Xion.

Axel shrugged. "Doesn't mean we don't remember how to, and can't try to live as we once did. The other branches and lower ranking human Nobodies try to hold onto that notion. Nobodies Heaven is a kind of place where we can lose ourselves and forget our problems, almost makes us feel human sometimes."

_That almost sounds like Tifa's Bar..._

" _Whose Tifa?_ " asked Xion.

_None of your business._

Axel led her to an open area with a huge skyscraper towering into the air. "Woah..."

Axel rolled his eyes and thumbed the building. "That's Memory's Skyscraper, the pub is right across from it."

Xion followed him through a set of yellow paneled double doors. The inside of the building did not match the outside at all. It looked retrofitted. Wooden tables and chairs everywhere, a large bar at the back, with bottles of various liquids behind it. The floor was wooden as well, with hanging lights and fans on the ceiling. The place was packed full of Nobodies, and lesser Nobodies carrying drinks to the humanoid ones sitting at the tables.

"Yo, mamma bear! Got another newbie for you," called out Axel.

A voice, one that made Xion's chest suddenly constrict painfully, spoke out, "How many times do I have to say it Axel, it's Xifta, especially to a womanizer like you."

_T-that voice... this place... it can't be..._

Hurt... pain... why did her chest... suddenly hurt so much? Xion struggled a bit behind Axel, gripping her chest, panting softly.

"Please? Me? A womanizer? That hurts my 'heart'," said Axel, placing a mocking hand over his chest.

A woman in a black cloak came into view. She had a strong set, but soft face. Long brown hair, and somewhat kind brown eyes. She had a forced smile on her face, as if she were trying to appear happy and carefree, but couldn't put the emotion into it. The sight of her face made the pain in Xion's chest far worse...

_T-T-Tifa?! No no no no..._

The woman, Xifta, or Tifa, or whatever she was called, glanced away from Axel and towards Xion. "So you're the newbie huh? I'm Xifta, please to meet..."

She paused, a surprised look slowly coming over her face. "Wait a second, hair's the wrong color, but you look just like... Kairi?"

Xion's eyes went wide at that word as a spasm ripped through her. It felt like lightning had just split her body in half. She clutched the side of her head in one hand, her chest over where her heart should be in the other, gave an awful scream of agony, and pitched forward unconscious...


	2. Familiar Faces

Xion groaned and came too, finding herself laying on a pile of towels in a back storeroom. The sounds of laughter, jeers, and the clicking off glass came as very unwanted head pounding sensation. She blinked a few times and sat up, massaging her head.

"What happened?" she muttered.

She paused, hearing voices outside.

"The Core Organization takes care of their own, just let me take her to see Mixenin, she'll patch the kid up," came Axel's voice.

"If she is who I think she is, she was one of ours far before she was one of yours," came a man's steady, even voice.

"Damn straight!" came a woman's voice.

_Those voices... no no no, not them to! Mom... dad...?_

Pain.

Horrific pain burst through Xion's chest, making her scream. Why? Why was everything hurting so much?!

The door burst open, and four people rushed into the room. One was Axel, one was Xifta...

The other two..

The man, a calm controlled stoic face, his empty but serious eyes blue, his hair a short and lighter shade of brown, his bangs sweep to the left side of his face. He bore the Organization cloat, but unlike anyone else, he had something else. A necklace of what looked like the face of a lion on it...

_Leon..._

The woman, despite the empty edge to her violet eyes and smile that most nobodies had, appeared rather cheerful and spunky looking at first glance. Her coat was a smaller and slimmer version, looking much less heavy and offering more mobility. She had short black hair, and a bandana of sorts wrapped around forhead underneath her hair.

_Yuffie..._

Xion clutched her chest, breathing laboriously. "I don't... understand... why do I feel like... I know you...?"

The man, 'Leon' as the Voice called him, frowned intently, "Guess Axel was right, she doesn't remember anything."

"Pff, told you so," said Axel.

The woman 'Yuffie' sighed and knelt down, reaching over to ruffle Xion's hair, an empty-sad look crossing her face. "Heya squirt, sad to see you here with us. A Nobodies life isn't a life for you."

Xion stared at her blankly.

_Mom... dad... don't be fooled, she's not who you think she is!_

At this point, Xion didn't know which hurt more, her chest, or her head trying to figure out what was going on.

"Why would saying her name hurt her so much?" asked Xifta.

"I dunno on that," said Axel, "But uh, are you sure she _IS_ ka... er... the redhead? Because uh, she has black hair, and I've never seen a Nobody change hair colors from their somebodies."

He reflected briefly. "Unless you count Dusks and the like, but losing their hair doesn't count, I think."

'Leon' crossed his arms. "While there are subtle differences, I recognize that face, eyes, and hair anywhere..."

He frowned. "As for why she doesn't remember us... I don't know."

Xion stared at him. "Are you saying you know who I am?"

'Leon' contemplated his answer for a moment. "Perhaps, but, if you collapsing is any indication, hitting you with all that information at once might be a bad idea."

Xion hesitated briefly before nodding. "Okay..."

That pain in her chest wasn't something she liked. While she wanted information, she didn't want it at that cost.

"There's one more point, you know the name rule," said Axel, "No matter how you re-arrange the remaining letters after removing the X, that sure as heck doesn't get you the redhead's name."

'Leon' didn't appear to care, he moved to Xion and offered a hand. "Up and at em kid."

Xion took the hand and let him help her up. "Thanks."

"Pfff, she said thanks," teased Yuffie, "Where's miss do everything herself and all that huff about 'I don't need help!'?

_Hey! I do NOT act like that mom!_

Xion really wished she had a face to the Voice to look at and talk to. This was really confusing her, and the Voice seemed to have some clue what was going on.

"Anyway, I should get her back to the castle to rest and...," began Axel.

"No," said 'Leon', "Were taking her to see Xithera, she can tend to her if she needs it."

"But, the kids still unstable from being born, Mixenin ought to take a look at...," began Axel.

'Yuffie' glared at him. "She shouldn't have even been up and out if she's unstable! She'll rest at our HQ for a bit."

Axel sighed and threw his hands up into the air. "Whatever, don't expect the boss to be happy about it, you're kind of overstepping your jurisdiction."

"She is our jurisdiction, your boss should have told us she was among the Nobodies the moment she arrived here," said Xifta, placing a firm hand on Axel's shoulders and forcefully directing him to the door.

Xion watched them. "He seemed like a nice guy, no need to boot him out."

'Yuffie' rolled her eyes. "Him? A nice guy? You do know number eight of the Core Organization is an assassin, right?"

'Leon' raised an eyebrow. "So are you."

"Pfff, am not! I'm a ninja!" countered 'Yuffie'.

'Leon' turned to the door. "Not to the Organization you're not."

'Yuffie's' face fell a bit, a bit of empty guilt on her face. "I... guess not."

_Mom... what have they been making you do?_

"Come on kid, let's go see the others, maybe that'll jog your memory in hopefully a less painful way," said 'Leon'.

Xion hesitated. "Umm... o-okay..."

"Hey, no need to be scared squirt, we got Xithera to patch you up if need be, just like all the times she had to patch you up after patrols," said 'Yuffie', her tone almost teasing again.

_Pfff... I did NOT need to be patched up... er well... that much..._

Xion contemplated the Voice for a moment and then the other's words. The Voice acted like she knew them, acted like they wee family to her. Were they? And was she right on their names?

"Who are you two?" asked Xion.

'Yuffie' shrugged. "I go by my real name in private, but, Xuffiey when out and about."

'Leon' rolled his eyes. "Not that it's much different than your true name."

Xuffiey poked his shoulder, hard. "Well excuse me Mr. Swap-My-Name-At-The-Drop-Of-A-Hat. I liked my real name thank you very much."

'Leon' sighed and turned to Xion. "Call me Nexol."

Xion frowned. Neither of those names matched what the Voice had said, but beyond that, they didn't... feel right for these two people.

She blinked and registered something. "You talked about real and true names?"

Nexol held up a finger. "As Nobodies, we lack our hearts, and thus, are not truly who we once were. Until we have reclaimed our hearts, we have no right to bear our true names."

"Yeah? Well what was you're reason for dropping Squall?" asked Xuffiey, "You never answered either of us when we asked all those years ago."

Nexol shot her an empty-hostile look. "None of your concern."

Nexol frowned briefly. "I don't personally understand the significance of the X, but, our new temporary names as Nobody's are anagrams of our old ones with an X put in it."

So then...

N-E-X-O-L

N-E-O-L

L-E-O-N.

That name was correct.

X-U-F-F-I-E-Y

U-F-F-I-E-Y

Y-U-F-F-I-E

The Voice was right then. On one hand, she was glad. Knowing real knowledge like that, it proved she wasn't crazy and that she wasn't just hearing an imaginary voice in her head. On the other hand, it meant what the Voice has said, about her not being who they thought she was, was probably right as well...

_Of course I'm right!_

No need to rub it in...

Truth be told, she was kind of sad about that, it meant Nexol and Xuffiey didn't really know who she was. Yet... why did she feel like she knew them? It was the strangest sensation, and made her unsure of what was the truth or not...

"Xuffiey, go gather the others to HQ," ordered Nexol.

"Aww, why me? I wanna stay with Ka... er... what did you call yourself again?" asked Xuffiey.

"Xion," answered Xion before pausing and thinking it over.

X-I-O-N

I-O-N

I-N-O

O-N-I

O-I-N

N-I-O

N-O-I

Were any of them her true name? None of them felt... right. The name Xion felt honestly more accurate than those did. Though, something about the last one tugged at her, as if she had heard it before...

 _"No. i, our first and greatest creation,"_ came a man's distance voice, as if from a memory...

Xion staggered a bit as pain hit her, forcing Nexol to catch her. "You okay?"

Whose... voice had that been? It almost sounded like Vexen's...

"Yeah uh, I think you better get her to HQ sooner rather than later," said Xuffiey, "I'll go get the others."

Nexol steadied Xion and looked her over with empty-concern. "You're unusually unstable, most Nobodies are in Xuffiey's words, 'zombies', when they first wake up. You're coherent, but, in pain. You're an oddity."

There was a faint smile on his face. "You always were."

_Hmph! I was not odd!_

"Come, let's be on our way," said Nexol.

Xion followed him out of the room, through the bar, and back onto the streets of the World That Never Was. Xion couldn't help but sneak glances at the man who knew her but didn't know her. Something about walking alongside him down a street just felt... so familiar...

* * *

_Suddenly, the area around her changed. Nexol's cloths changed into a different outfit, almost like a uniform, and Xion found her much smaller. The dark and gloomy city changed into a different one, full of wooden and brick houses, with people ambling about. Xion found herself watching as Nexol's eyes kept scanning the area they walked._

_"You always have to keep your eyes peeled while out on patrol. You never know when a Heartless, a thief, or worse could jump out at you, understand Kairi?" warned and asked Nexol._

_Wait... what had he just called her?_

* * *

Xion blinked a few times and found herself back in the World That Never Was. What in the world had that been?

_How... how dare you! That wasn't yours to take!_

Xion grew baffled. What in the world was going on? What was the Voice talking about? What had she taken? She looked down in her hands, but saw nothing.

" _What do you mean?_ " Xion asked the Voice.

There was nothing but silence. No, that wasn't quite right, she swore she heard a kind of hissing sound, as if someone was seething quietly to themselves. Xion sighed quietly to herself. She just wished the Voice would tell her what was wrong and why she seemed so angry.

She glanced at Nexol, finding him doing the same thing she had seen in that... weird vision thingy... keeping his eyes peeled, looking around... and up?

She followed his gaze up into the sky and then froze, gasping in surprise. "What is that?!

_What the heck?_

There, hanging up far in the sky, was a giant, bloated, heart shaped yellow moon.

Nexol stopped and turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. "You mean, since you've woken up, you haven't looked up in the sky even once?"

Xion shook her head. "No."

Nexol sighed. "That, Xion, is Kingdom Hearts."

Xion heard a sharp intake of breath from the voice.

_No way... that's impossible... Kingdom Hearts is in the Realm of Darkness, how can it be here?_

"What... is Kingdom Hearts?" asked Xion, to both Nexol and the Voice.

There was only a heavy uneasy silence from the voice, Nexol however spoke, "It's the method to re-attaining our hearts according to the Superior of the In-between."

"It is? How?" asked Xion.

Nexol slowly shook his head. "We're not entirely sure. It was completed some time ago according to the Superior, the constant clashing between the Keybearers and the Heartless has more than filled it."

He crossed his arms. "Yet, he says it's not ready yet, because there's so many of us Nobodies, he says it needs to be even stronger to give us all back our hearts, and restore the lesser Nobodies to their original forms on top of it.."

_Xehanort's lying through his teeth! He's deceiving them, using their desire to be whole and normal against them, just like he did with my Master and her darkness... that... that bastard..._

Xion contemplated both the Voice and Nexol's words, while she did not have the Voice's misgivings about the Superior, it couldn't hurt to be on the safe side, especially about something so important. "Are you sure it's the truth?"

Nexol frowned at her. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Xion hesitated, uncertain about how to proceed. "Well... I mean... is there any proof of what he says?"

Nexol contemplated it for a moment. "Technically, no, but, the power radiating off the moon is... hard to doubt."

Xion blinked a few times. "Power...?"

Nexol regarded her curiously. "Do you not feel it, the moon's power?"

Xion shook her head. "No...?"

_I didn't either... maybe trying to suppress and lock everything of mine down might not be such a good idea... but I don't want to risk losing anything else... what should I do..._

Xion was baffled at the voices words. What was the Voice going on about...

_I have to know... is it truly Kingdom Hearts?_

Xion let out a small gasp and buckled to her knees as an overwhelming sensation of _pure raw power_ washed over her, emanating from above. She looked up in shock, w-was this w-hat Nexol meant... by sensing it? It was like a tide, coating her skin in a heavy warmth.

_It's... similar in feel, but, it's not the same, not the same of the true Heart of All Worlds that rests in the Realm of Darkness, nor is it nearly as powerful. Still... Xehanort having this thing is... troubling..._

"Hmm, I wonder if awakening your memories and other abilities will be as easy as just mentioning them," mused Nexol.

Mentioning them? No... she might not understand a lot of things, and be growing more and more confused by the minute, but, even she had made the connection. The Voice had something to do with her gaining the ability to feel the power of the moon. No, it wasn't even only the moon. She could feel those around her, the sensation of emptiness, of nothingness, emanating from each and every being walking around the world.

" _Who... are you?_ " Xion asked the Voice, " _How did you do that?_ "

Silence.

Xion felt a... burning sensation in her chest, and her face contorted. Why wasn't the Voice telling her? Why was she hiding things from her? This sensation... was it... anger? Did she remember how to feel angry? She just... didn't understand, this didn't feel fake or forced...

"It helps to suppress your senses when you don't need them, otherwise, the moon's power can be a constant headache," said Nexol.

Xion nodded and shied away from the overwhelming sensation from above, rising to her feet. Nexol nodded to her curtly and started walking again, Xion moving to walk slightly behind him to his right.

"I suppose I should to give you rundown of what everyones doing," said Nexol, "Our branch of the Organization is the newest one. It was formed when our home was consumed by darkness and everyone lost their hearts. We call our branch 'Nothing's Watch'. We help to keep order on the streets of the World That Never Was."

Something about this seemed familiar to her...

"Order?" she asked.

"You might be suprised," came a voice behind them, "But..."

Xion turned to see Xifta jogging to catch up to them, moving to stand behind Nexol slightly to his left, "Without the heart's inhibitions, people can be far crueler than they were in life, do things they never thought they would do. Those on the streets and in the lower buildings outside the Castle That Never Was don't have the safety or status of a core member of the Organization. So, we have to crack a few heads to put people in line from time to time."

_Some things never change..._

Xion gave Xifta a blank look. "Wouldn't cracking their heads hurt?"

Xifta snorted. "That's the point. Pain is one of the few things we can actually feel."

"Hope nothing spills out then," said Xion, scratching her head.

"Uh... it's a phrase Xion," said Xifta.

"Phrase...?" she asked.

_Light, your really daft..._

Xion slightly narrowed her eyes. " _If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all._ "

_What are you, a three year old?_

" _Umm... I think I'm less than a day or so old actually,_ " answered Xion.

_*sigh*_

"Umm, a phrase is a few words or a sentence put together that means something a bit more than the words themselves, I guess?" offered Xifta.

"Okay...," said Xion, not really understanding, or wait...

"You mean like... 'hit the town'?" she asked, "Or 'let's go chill'?"

Xifta nodded. "Yeah, like those."

Xion contemplated it for a moment. "How do you know what's a 'phrase' or not?"

Xifta shrugged. "Mostly you just learn them. Sometimes people will have a certain tone in their voices, though that's harder to do as a Nobody."

Hrm... guess she'd just have to learn as she went.

"Anyway, we're situated at the back of Fragment Crossing just outside the Alley to Between," said Nexol, almost sounding disgruntled, "I imagine Xuffiey will have gathered everyone by the time we're there. Let's get you re-introduced and have Xithera look you over."

They walked out of the Skyscrapper area, down a few streets, dark alleyways, and almost what looked like a junkyard before coming to a somewhat open area. She glanced up, sighting a glowing blue sign with symbols on it she couldn't read. There was a yellow panel door, with windows to the side of it, she guessed that was their destination.

Unlike the bar that had been renovated, the inside of the building was as dark and gloomy as the outside. Not to mention gray. They entered into a sort of reception area with an empty desk follow by a set of double doors behind it. They walked through, coming to an empty lounge, before making for another set of double doors.

Xion paused as she heard a multitude of voices emanating from within. They all... sounded so familiar...

_Are they... all here?_

She felt the pain starting to come back and took a hesitant step back, hand raised to her chest.

"Xion?" asked Nexol, eyebrow raised.

_Go in... I have to... see them..._

Xion shook her head. " _I don't want to, it hurts..._ "

_Please... just go... in..._

Xion blinked a few times, recognizing the tired sound to the Voice's voice. She frowned briefly, before grudgingly deciding to obey, the Voice had actually said please. She took a deep breath, let it out, and walked up to Nexol. The man nodded to her and pushed the door open.

In was a room much like the room of thrones in the Castle That Never Was, just on a much smaller scale. The thrones did not have differing heights, they were all raised to the same spot in a circle around the room, about the height of a bar stool, and bore a number, a name, and a tittle engraved into them. Nexol motioned for Xion to stay in the center before he and Xifta took their seats. She slowly looked around, each and every throne were filled by figures in black coats. Each one she looked at sent a spike of pain through her chest, yet, having expected it, it wasn't as bad as it had been to see Xifta for the first time, but the constant jabs were not pleasant, at all...

The first throne was Nexol's and read: Number I, Nexol, the Lone Hero.

_Dad..._

The second throne was Xuffiey's and read: Numer II, Xuffiey, the Transparent.

_Mom..._

The third throne belonged to a woman with brown hair that was long and styled into a braid down her back, with curls on either side of her face. Her hair also had a pink ribbon tied into it. Her eyes was a bright but very-empty green. She seemed... unusually hollow, even for a Nobody from what Xion could tell. Her throne read: Number III, Xithera, Herald of the Gospel.

_Aerith..._

The fourth throne belonged to a man with short blonde hair, and blue eyes. He had an unlit cigarette sticking out of his mouth. Against his throne was leaning a long spear. His throne read: Number IV, Dxic, the Sky Diver.

_Cid..._

The fifth throne belonged to a strong set man. He had spiky blonde, and blue eyes that regarded Xion impassively. Like Dxic, he had his weapon leaning against his throne, a huge bandaged sword. His throne read: Number V, Dolucx, Nothing's Edge.

_Cloud..._

The sixth throne was Xifta's and read: Number VI, Xifta, Hand of Nothing.

_Tifa..._

The seventh throne belonged to a young boy, younger than Xion was. He had a mess of blonde hair on his head, and appeared very scrawny, even with the coat he bore. It was... kind of awkward to see the boy sitting on a throne much to big for him. Even awkwarder was the sword resting next to his throne. It was almost as big as the boy was himself, did he really wield that? But wait... the sword itself... something almost seemed wrong with it. At first glance, it looked like a normal sword, a long silver blade with a golden handle, yet, the blade itself was cracked, seeping gray energy that coated the blade. The handle was also tinting gray slightly. It looked... broken, incomplete, much like a Nobody if Xion had to guess. His throne read: Number VII, Xurrath, Calamity's Blade.

_Arthur..._

The eight throne belonged to a large man with brown skin, the first time Xion had seen anyone with that color before. What stuck out even more than that to her though was the giant gun arm coming of of his coat, not to mention how bulky and odd he looked in it to begin with. She looked away from it and studied the man. A hardened face, short cut hair on his head and full facial hair on the rest. His eyes were black, and at the moment, tightened. He did not look pleased to see her standing before them, though, she didn't think he was 'angry' at her per-say. His throne read: Number VIII, Baxerrt, Nothing's Fury.

_Barret..._

The ninth throne belong to a young woman with short brown hair, a fair complexion, and wide green eyes. Out of all of them thus far... she got the smallest sense of recognition, she seemed familiar like the rest, but not fully recognized. Her throne read: Number IX, Xunparzel, the Tangled Weaver.

_Rapunzel...?_

For a brief moment, the cloaked woman on the chair changed. Xion saw a slightly younger woman with ridiculously long blonde hair walking down a street in front of her. In a single blink, the image was gone. Yet, that image and name restored the familiar sensation the others had. She was a bit curious about what happened to the woman's hair.

The tenth throne belonged to a man with brown, dreadlock hair, and brown eyes. He had a little bit of facial hair, a mustache, a little bit of hair on his chin, and, oddly enough, what looked like two mini-dreadlocks coming off his chin. His throne read: Number X, Xajck, Greed's Embrace.

_Jack..._

The eleventh throne belonged to a boy with tousled, black hair and almond shaped brown eyes. The posture of the boy seemed... sad... though, he wasn't paying attention to Xion. He had tiny little flying robots resting on his throne, on his shoulders, and running along his arms. He stared at them silently, an empty but longing look in his eyes, as if he were missing something, and using them to try and fill the void. His throne read: Number XI, Xiroh, the Empty Intellect.

_Hiro... but no Baymax..._

The twelfth throne belonged to the strangest inhabitant of the room. It was a tiny blue furry creature in a tiny version of the black coat. It had large black tear-shaped eyes, a domed nose, and large ears with pink insides. It was kind of adorable and oddly funny looking in it's coat... except for the bland, off-putting look it had on it's face. While it was somewhat familiar to her, the feeling of familiarity wasn't nearly as high as it was with the others. She doubted she had known it well in her previous life, well, if she had at all, she really didn't understand the sensation. It's throne read: Number VII, Tixtchs, the Ever Yearning.

_Is that... Stitch?_

The final throne belonged to a young woman. She had shoulder length black hair, and narrowed black eyes. Her expression was serious looking, yet, almost uncomfortable, flickering around the room towards her companions in their branch of the Organization. Like Tixtchs, she lacked the high level of familiarity the first eleven had. Yet, she swore she had seen her before. Sitting on her shoulder, oddly enough, rested a small red serpent like creature with whiskers, arms, and legs. Xion's eyes flickered to the throne, it read: Number XIII, Xumnla, the Silent Reaper.

_That's... Mulan? But whose... the little dragon thing...? Wait... is that her friend... Mushu?_

_WHAM!_

Xion nearly jumped as Baxerrt slammed his gun arm down on the arm of his throne. "God dammit, where the hell is the good in the world if you ended up like the rest of us?"

Xion stared at him blankly.

Xithera's eyes calmly turned to the man and spoke coldly, "There is none, otherwise, we would never have lost our homes, our hearts, and become like this."

_Oh Aerith... you never lost... hope before..._

The pain in Xion's chest was steadily increasing, and the Voice sounded more and more winded, tiny, miserable, and pained.

_They're... my family and... friends... don't you dare... treat them wrong..._

Suddenly, the pain eased a bit, and her chest relaxed as the Voice went silent. Xion wondered briefly if the Voice had gone to sleep again, or more likely, been overwhelmed and passed out. This... was almost to much for Xion herself to handle...

Nexol cleared his throat. "I would like, friends, to introduce Xion, number Thirteen of the Core Organization according to Axel."

There was a small murmur around the room.

Xithera was the first to speak, "That name does not convert into Kai..."

Xuffiey coughed loudly. "Don't say it, I don't want her to have another pain attack. She has a uh... memory issue you could say. Certain things seem to trigger it from what I've seen, and that name is one of them."

Xurrath's eyebrows furrowed. "Memory issue?"

"You... are all so familiar to me," said Xion with hesitance, "But... I don't remember any of you."

There was an awkward silence to the room as the nine who hadn't known that regarded her silently.

Xurrath sighed. "Great, she has it even worse than us then."

There was a collective look of empty-pity direction her way, one that made her slightly narrow her eyes and tighten her hands into fists. She ought to have been glad for such concern, if she could feel it, but, for some reason, the notion of being pitied made her a bit annoyed.

"Ha, there's the look," said Dxic, chewing on his cigarette, an empty-amused look on his face, "No need to get your panties in a bunch kid, we're just worried for you, well, as much as we can be."

Xion glared at him.

He leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "That a problem, kid?"

Xion spoke, her voice sounding oddly different. "You can take your worry, stick it on your spear, and shove it up your ass."

Xion blanked for a moment and brought a hand up to her mouth, baffled. Where the heck had that come from...?

Dxic roared with empty-laughter. "Haven't heard you say that one in a while."

A number of the others chuckled softly, some of them giving her empty smiles.

Xion however only felt more and more confused, and a bit dizzy.

_Dammit... why can't you... let me sleep?_

Xion didn't... understand... she... just... suddenly felt as tired... as the Voice sounded...

She raised a hand to the side of her head and swayed a bit.

"Uh, you okay kid?" came Dxic's voice.

"Most likely not," came a voice from the doorway, "Overwhelming her as you are now is not a wise decision."

Xion turned her head, they all did, to see Axel and the Superior walk into the room.

The Superior turned his head briefly to Axel. "It would seem I need to speak with our... compatriots, sooner than I thought I would. Finish what you started, take Xion and show her our world."

Axel nodded and walked up to Xion, tapping her on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's get going. I'll finish showing you the world, then let's get you to bed, no offense, you look like you're about to drop."

Xion nodded absent minded and mumbled a faint goodbye to those present before walking out the room...

* * *

The Superior watched his puppet go, barely containing what little anger his fledgling heart could feel. She was not yet ready to interact with those Kairi had once known and held so dear. He had high hopes when he initially placed Kairi's heart within the puppet, yet, the Princess was a stubborn one. Rather than instantly be consumed, the girl had shielded her heart as best she could and resisted the process. It had forced him to... improvise... and place Xion as his thirteenth member of those who would one day be his vessels. He held no such intention with the puppet, he could not possess her even if he wanted to, but, she needed to have a close eye kept on her.

Though, that thirteen wasn't entirely locked in place. He had so many options now, it was almost staggering. The Organization with all it's branches gave him so many potential avenues it would have made his mouth water with anticipation if he could properly feel it. Even in this latest branch before him, there were plenty who could serve as vessels if he so chose. The man, Dolucx, Cloud as he had been, had held a great darkness inside him before he had fallen to nothingness. The boy, Xurrath, had immense potential, though, was a bit young for his liking. Even Xithera, a once strong woman of light, had come to embrace nothingness with such fervency it was tempting to choose her as well.

Truth be told, since Aqua's Heartless was finally disposed of, it's was one of the two remaining reason's he hadn't enacted his plans yet. The first was as he said, there were so many options he didn't know whether to keep his current choices or not. The second, was his puppet. If the puppet's purpose was fulfilled, Kairi's heart consumed, and the Princess of Heart replaced, it meant victory was all but assured. He would make puppets for the rest of the Princesses of Heart, and for the seven Guardians of Light, and so easily orchestrate the creation of the X-Blade and the return of the true Kingdom Hearts to the Realm of Light, followed by his remaking of the world.

But such thoughts were for another time... he was here to deal with the puppet's 'accident'.

His thoughts turned to what Axel had told him. To try to pull and consume Kairi's memories, feelings, and abilities so quickly was risky, very risky, especially when the Princess of Heart was struggling against her during the process. It was almost embarrassing, to not have considered that the puppet would bump into Kairi's past during her brief tour of the World That Never Was. It was mistakes like this, not considering potential dangers, that had cost him his victory against Aqua all those years ago.

"Superior, with all due respect," said Nexol, his voice thin, "Why were we not told Kairi had been turned into a Nobody?"

So, they had come to the conclusion the puppet was their dear Kairi? Amusing, though, not unexpected. He had expected to have to deal with that conclusion eventually, just not quite right at the start.

"Because," he said, "Hers is a special existence."

Xithera crossed her arms. "Yes, about that. How does she even exist as a Nobody?"

Xuffiey gave her a confused look. "Eh?"

Xithera returned it crossly. "Did you not pay attention to the briefings we were given? Kairi is a Princess of Heart, how did she even turn into a Nobody when she can't have formed a heartless? Am I not correct in such a question, Superior?"

The Superior was, for once, glad to not be able to properly feel. Such a pointed question might have risked a wince or some other subtle betrayal. He'd have to be mindful, Xithera was quite intelligent, and difficult to deceive if he had to guess.

He cleared his throat. "Correct, she should not have been able to create a Nobody, for, she never created a Heartless."

Xithera gave him a pointed look. "Then how, pray tell, is she here as one of us? If she even is. Her presence is strange, she does not exactly feel like the rest of us."

A dangerous, a very dangerous question indeed. A replica was similar to a Nobody, yes, but not quite the same. Especially when said replica had a heart inside of it. It was time to weave a tale he supposed.

"Have you wondered, my friends," began the Superior, pulling down his hood to reveal his old face, "Just how the presence, how, the Leader of the Heartless, was defeated?"

There was a bit of silence before Xurrath spoke up, "Are you saying Kairi had a part to play in that?"

"A part to play? From what I understand, she was the catalyst," said the Superior, "If not for her, the Heartless would have finished off the rest of the Realm of Light, and then eventually found her way here to finish what she started."

"What, exactly happened?" asked Nexol, "How could Kairi have beaten that thing?"

The Superior shrugged. "We don't know. We did not have eyes or ears in place at the final confrontation. All we know, is that Kairi and the boy Sora went off alone to, whether to challenge the Heartless or enact some plan..."

He began his lies and treachery, to pull the wool over their eyes. "We're not entirely certain. The pair went into that final battle... and only Sora came out of it. From what little we've been able to ascertain, she sacrificed herself against the Heartless, against a dark power not seen since the Keyblade War of old, or perhaps, even greater than what darkness existed in the age of Fairy Tales. That creature, was one of such power and darkness that it broke all rules, doing things that should not have been possible."

Which, was in a sense, truthful, Aqua's Heartless had done many things that astounded and baffled him. Consuming entire worlds full of hearts, and the world's hearts themselves into herself was surprising, how could one contain so many hearts, surely even Heartless had limits to the amount they could feed? To continue, he had never considered that it was possible to forcefully break open a Keyhole, it went against logic and the rules of the Keyblade. What was locked should stay locked unless unlocked by another Keyblade. Not to mention, when he had learned that Aqua's Heartless had begun to awaken Aqua's memories, to consume her heart entirely, it had sparked _true_ _fear_ in him. When a heart was 'consumed' by darkness and a Heartless born, the heart still existed, it wasn't actually consumed or destroyed, just wrapped in a shell of darkness while the true self slept. But, what Aqua's Heartless had been doing, to try and fully intake and consume the heart at it's core...

If that process had completed, even he, with all his vast knowledge and research, wasn't sure what that Heartless would have become.

He supposed ' _the end_ ' was the only accurate way to describe what the final outcome would have been.

"So... you're saying that Heartless had some role to play in it?" asked Xifta.

The Superior nodded. "Of course. It is safe to assume that the Heartless extracted Kairi's heart..."

There was a collective set of pained winces at those words and the most likely set of images passing through their minds.

"...and consumed it. As such, especially considering both the raw darkness the Heartless held, and their direct proximity to the Door to Darkness, and beyond it, the Realm of Darkness, may have allowed for a... breech... in the 'rules', and allowed for the creation of that which should never have been," said the Superior, "Not that any of us were supposed to exist to begin with. Is she truly any different from us in that regard?"

"No, I suppose not," said Xithera, "None of this should have come to pass to begin with."

No, it shouldn't have... Aqua should have become his vessel, _he_ _should have won_. Yet, lingering on the past was foolish, not when the future still held such potential.

"Agreed," he answered simply.

He cleared his throat and continued his lies, "I am aware, of your past relationships with Kairi. However, because of the... unusual process in which she was reborn into nothingness, her memories were marred, and while she may be familiar with you all, trying to pull at what is buried, is a risky thing. It could risk damaging her, and I will not tolerate that. She is an special existence, unlike any Nobody that has ever come before her. Her capabilities and potential, as the Nobody of a Princess of Heart, are uncharted. Her value to us is unparalleled within all the Organization. But, until the day she reclaims her true name, her purpose, and her memories, she is not Kairi, or Xikira as I would have named her Nobody self. Instead, she will be Xion, No. I, an imaginary name for a persona that doesn't truly exist."

Nexol looked thoughtful. "I see. Is there any way we can help with her recovering her memories? It seemed like she was slowly starting to remember a bit when..."

The Superior held up a hand for silence. "Perhaps, but not right away, and not in the heavy handed method you are using."

A cruel smile crossed his face. "She must recover herself, yes, and become, _complete_ , but it must be slowly. It must not be rushed however, lest she be damaged in the process. Ease her into it, allow her to stake claim on each and every memory, power, and ability Kairi had, and she will eventually become who she was meant to be."

The collective nodding from the group pleased him immensely. How easy it was to deceive those who only saw what they wanted to see. The puppet would certainly ' _become_ ' Kairi in time, oh yes, and they would help her fulfill her function in doing so. The puppet would consume Kairi's heart one day, become her, replace her. Vexen told him the puppet would most likely physically change to match Kairi fully once she had eaten the Princess's heart. Not that the differences between the puppet and the Princess were that much to begin with.

When the time was right, oh how he would enjoy lording over those gathered here that they had helped to kill their dear Kairi. "Do you all understand?"

There was another collective nod before the Superior gave a curt nod back, turned, and walked out of the room. These people would serve their part, and help deliver unto him, the object of his desires, his loyal keybearing puppet Princess of Heart...


	3. Those of Purity

Xion gave a start and sat upright, finding herself on a bed in a small gray room. "Where...?"

The last thing she really remembered was talking to the familiar people in Nothing's Watch... guess she had really been tired then. She hoped Axel wouldn't mind that she hadn't been paying attention to his tour. She sighed softly and rose out of bed, stretching, and walking out of the room. She went into a lounge, what had Axel called it? The Gray Area? She was rather surprised to see a large number of her comrades there just... sitting around.

"Yo, kiddo," called over one of them, Xigbar if she remembered right.

She walked over to him. "Do you need help with something?"

"Me? Need anything? As if, just here to give you a fair warning, Saix is going to be looking for you. He gives all new members a pretty big hassle when they're starting out, dumps missions on them to prove their worth," said Xigbar, rolling his eyes, "I got out of my 'probation phase' awhile back, once that happens missions relax for you. Not that we're really needed anyway, there are over a dozen branches of the Organization, we could kick back, relax, and never lift a finger if need be..."

"And never have the respect of the lower branches," came a cold voice, "Thus resulting in dissension."

"Speak of the blue-haired devil," said Xigbar teasingly.

Xion turned to see Saix approach. "Your first mission will be alongside a member of one of the lower branches. He will meet you at the entrance to the castle, his name is Xetsba, he will fill you in on the details. Go."

"Umm... okay," she said, turning and walking out of the room.

Rather abrupt, but whatever.

_He's no-nonsense, something I can respect._

And there was the Voice. " _Good morning._ "

_What's so good about it?_

" _Umm... we exist?_ " answered Xion a bit sheepishly.

_If you can call this an existence..._

Xion rolled her eyes. " _Someone woke up grumpy._ "

_I shouldn't BE awake yet._

" _Go back to sleep then silly,_ " said Xion.

_I wish I could..._

" _Why can't you?_ " asked Xion, a bit baffled.

There was nothing but silence as her answer. Xion sighed quietly to herself and picked up the pace, not wanting to be late...

The figure that waited for her was not what she expected, at all. He was a large, hunch over, humanoid animal like creature with a tail. His fur was brownish, but tinted gray with nothingness. He had huge canine like fangs coming out of his mouth, and horns on the back of his head. The huge black coat on him was... awkward looking to be honest. He kind of looked like some kind of... well... beast.

"So, you're the new member of the Core Organization?" asked the creature, studying her.

Xion blink a few times, a bit surprised he could talk. "Umm, yes, I'm Xion. Are you Xestba?"

The creature nodded. "I am, let us be on our way, I have been awaiting this opportunity for a long time."

Xestba formed a portal made of black energy before Xion could ask what he meant. She followed through, coming out before a dark castle and a huge gate.

Xestba looked at the castle, a solemn look on his face. "Home, just as it was before the world was swallowed by darkness, it truly has returned."

"It was swallowed by darkness?" asked Xion, a bit confused about what that meant.

Xestba nodded and gently nudged the gate open, walking through. "The heartless came for us. For Belle. I gave everything to hold them back, in the end, I failed. It was all I could do to throw her to the oncoming Keybearers on their gliders as the darkness destroyed our world and the heartless took my heart."

_Wait... he knows Belle? He... saved her?_

"That was a brave thing to do," said Xion quietly.

Xestba grunted. "I would rather have forced away the darkness. I can still remember the look on her face, when I threw her to safety and stayed behind. I would have done anything to have never given her such sorrow."

Xestba entered the castle quietly, keeping along the wall or behind pillars.

"Are... we not supposed to be seen?" she asked quietly, "Is that what 'recon' means?

"Correct," said Xestba, "Recon, is to observe without being seen, to learn, without others realizing we have learned. Not that I'd wish Belle to see me in this state regardless and..."

He went silent and held up a hand, kneeling down and motioning for her to do the same. "I don't believe it... he's back, are they all back as well?"

Xion followed his gaze, trying to spot who he was talking about, but all she saw was... wait... was that a walking clock? What? She stared at it, baffled, as it hopped up a flight of stairs. Xestba waited a minute for the clock to gain some distance before he bounded oddly nimbly and quietly for someone his size up a flight of stairs and slowly moved down a hallway, making sure to trail well behind the clock. He stopped outside a partially open door, and turned an hear towards it...

Xion froze as a woman's voice spoke out, "Oh Cogsworth, has there been any news about him from the villages?"

Xion moved a hand up to her chest, breathing a little laboriously. That woman's voice... it felt familiar to her, like the people from Nothing's Watch...

"No madam, I am sorry, there has been no citing of the Master reported," came a reluctant voice.

"They're looking for me?" whispered Xestba, sounding almost surprised.

"Oh... where could he be? As if Kairi being taken wasn't bad enough, him not being back hurts even worse," said the woman mournfully.

Kairi...

That name again...

There was a brief constriction of pain in her chest before it relaxed.

"Well madam, we can trust that Sora boy to find her, in turn, we'll have to do our best to find the Master," said Cogsworth.

_Sora? He's looking for..._

Xion took a step back behind Xestba, hand clutching the side of her head as she whispered, "S...sora...?"

An image flashed through her mind, of a cheerful boy with brown spiky hair...

_Dammit, stop taking them from me!_

Xion blinked a few times and viciously shook her head to banish the image. " _Taking what_?"

There was only an angry hissing sound from the Voice, making Xion a bit frustrated. These random accusations and piss poor attitude from the Voice was starting to grate on her.

"Well, we've confirmed that the... target... is here, we should go," murmured Xestba.

"Target?" asked Xion.

"Belle, we were to confirm that Belle has indeed returned to the castle," said Xestba, a displeased look on his face, "That she does so without any obvious protection is... aggravating, but, that is how she is."

"You're not going to go say hi?" asked Xion.

Xestba bared his teeth. "What part of not being seen do you not understand? Besides..."

His face fell a bit. "I would not want her to see me like this, a creature of nothing, not even capable of caring for her."

_She wouldn't care..._

Xion voiced the Voice's words, agreeing with them. "She wouldn't care."

Xestba merely walked passed her. "Of course she wouldn't, that's who she is."

"So, are you...?" began Xion.

Xestba walked through the portal rather than answer. Xion rolled her eyes and followed through, coming back to the entrance of the Castle That Never Was.

"So... what was so special about this 'Belle' lady that we had to go check on her?" asked Xion.

Xestba sharply turned his head, empty anger on his face. "Belle, meant the world to me. But beyond that, I learned after being briefed by the Organization that she is one of seven hearts of pure light, one of the Princesses of Heart.

Princesses of Heart.

It was another painful constriction in her chest, enough to make her wince. That term meant something to her.

"Are you alright?" asked Xestba curiously, "I had heard your body was still unstable, going on a mission even if it is just recon on your first week seems a bit hasty."

Xion shrugged. "It's fine."

Xestba frowned briefly but started off. "Our mission is complete, report in to whoever it is that gave you your mission."

"Okay, see you later Xestba," she called after him.

The creature didn't respond, merely continuing on his way.

"Seems a bit grumpy," she mumbled to herself.

She turned and started walking back up the castle. She pondered the new words she had learned. Sora and Princesses of Heart. What did they mean to her? The boy seemed really nice, off of a single image anyway, and the Belle lady sounded nice too. Hmm...

Xion returned to Saix, and confirmed Belle was there.

Saix nodded. "Very well, your next five missions are lined up and ready to go one after the other."

"Okay," said Xion.

"Woah woah woah," came Axel's voice.

She turned to see the redhead walking over, eyebrow raised. "You're giving the new kid six missions in one day, on her first day? You didn't even do that for Xigbar, and the Superior told you to be hard on that lazy bastard."

"I heard that!" called over Xigbar from the couch.

Saix didn't seem phased by the question. "It is the Superior's will she observe the Princesses of Heart, who are you to judge?"

Axel shrugged. "You do remember the Keybearers are swing happy towards us with those oversized keys of theirs, right?. If she runs into one of them, she's toast. Seems like a waste to get a new member just to throw her away."

Xion looked back and forth between the two men for a moment, a hint of a frown on her face.

"And wait a sec," said Axel, "Counting the one she just did, there's only six missions, but there's seven princesses last I counted. Man, I knew the Superior was old, but forgetting how to count? Tsk."

Xigbar snicked from the couch.

"Axel, your mouth is going to get you killed one of these days," said Saix, exasperated, "The Superior said we need not concern ourselves with the seventh."

_Of course he did... that bastard..._

"What do you mean?" asked Xion aloud, both to Saix and the Voice.

To her frustration, both didn't answer the question.

"Tell ya what, I'll take three, she takes two. Counting the one she already did, dead even split," offered Axel.

Saix crossed his arms. "Aren't you on that 'vacation' you hassled the Superior for?"

Axel shrugged. "Recon is kind of like vacation anyway, don't do anything but not be seen and watch people go about their lives."

Saix sighed. "I'll contact the lesser branches to coordinate with you."

He turned to Xion. "Your next partner will await you at the entrance to the castle, go."

Xion turned and left the room, starting down the castle...

"Yo," came Axel's voice.

Xion turned her head to see him jog to catch up and then fall in beside her. "Hello."

"Umm, why did you take half of the missions, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Xion.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Considering you don't see a problem with them dumping that much on you on your first day, I consider it a good choice. C'mon, someone's got to look out for the newbies, otherwise they'll get walked all over. Stick with me, and I'll keep you above water."

_Fair enough statement..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not in water... oh... is that one of those 'phrase' things?"

Axel nodded, a smirk on his face. "Aha, someone's learning."

"Whats that one mean?" she asked.

"It mean's I'm trying to make sure you don't get overwhelmed, that people don't take advantage of you," he answered, "Just tryin to help you a cute girl, ya know?"

"O-oh," she stammered out, feeling her face heat a bit, "T-that's kind of you."

Axel smirked. "Well, what can I say, I am the... huh?"

Axel stopped walking and started at her, dumbstruck. "Are you..."

She blinked a few times. "Am I what?"

"Blushing?" he whispered with confusion.

"Um...," she said awkwardly, stopping to look away from him.

"How the heck can a Nobody blush?" muttered Axel, "I thought you needed a heart do do that?"

He frowned briefly, a deep contemplative and almost wary look on his face before he masked it and started walking past her, "Anyway, like I was saying, I am the most well 'liked' Core member with the other branches I'll have you know."

He reflected briefly. "Well, except for Luxord when it's 'that time' at the pub, then he's everyone's favorite gambling man, or everyone's least favorite."

He shrugged. "Depends who you ask."

Xion followed him down silently, wishing the hot feeling in her face would go away. By the time they reached the entrance, she was a bit more composed.

"Yo, prince man," called out Axel.

Xion followed Axel's gaze to see a man in the Organization's Coat walking towards them. He had brown hair with a kind of puffy front to it, and brown eyes. He had on his face an attempt to look pleasant and respectful, if not for the emptiness bleeding into it, it would have been believable. He bore a longsword and a rather large triangular blue shield on his back.

The man tilted his head curtly to Axel. "Pleasant day Axel."

He turned to study Xion. "And to you as well, I don't believe we've met yet."

"I'm Xion," she offered.

The man tilted his head curtly. "Pleasant day Xion, I am Piphilx."

He turned and aimed a hand, crafting a portal of black energy. "Shall we then, Xion? Forgive the brief introduction, but, I have been waiting for this for some time."

She nodded. "Sure, Xestba was kind of impatient too."

She giggled a little. "Said pretty much the same thing as you."

Piphilx gave a brief empty-smile. "We've all been waiting a long time to see those we cherished again."

"All?" she asked.

Piphilx motioned to the portal, and they stepped through before he replied, "Those of us who cherished the Princesses of Heart were placed within our own branch of the Organization. If ever the Keybearers were to fail to protect them, or the Princesses were to leave their protection, we were to step in and..."

Piphilx trailed off and tensed, drawing his sword and shield. "What?!"

Xion blinked a few times and looked away from his back. They were on a bridge, and ahead of them... was a devastated and ruined castle. There were black and gray thorns all throughout the ruins. An ill, unsettled feeling entered Xion's stomach. Something felt _wrong_...

"What happened here?" whispered Xion.

"I know those thorns... Maleficent," hissed Piphilx, "She destroyed the castle... oh no... Aurora!"

He took off for the ruins.

Xion paused at the second name, feeling a familiar contraction in her chest. This was starting to get annoying, and way to frequent. Why did words and names hurt or cause weird reactions?

She shook her head and started after him before pausing, turning her head back and forth. A chill ran down her spine, a tremor running down her hand...

_I can feel it... something's here... something bad... g-get us out of here!_

Xion ran after Piphilx, as if chased. She caught up to him as he began stepping over the rubble. "P-piphilx! I think we need to go, now."

Piphilx turned to frown at her. "We haven't seen if Aurora is alive or not..."

_She's not here! I don't feel a hint of light, of her presence anywhere!  
_

"There's no light here," said Xion shakily, "L-let's just go!"

Piphilx turned to stare at her. "What is wrong Xion?"

There was a presence starting to scratch at the back of her mind that was sending chills continually down her spine, it was drawing closer. "S-something's h-here."

Piphilx narrowed his eyes and moved to stand in front of her. "Stay behind me."

She pulled on his arm. "No! We need to GO!"

_Thud... thud... thud..._

The sound of something tapping along the ground was heard echoing along. The chilling sensation had turned into a full on crawling one. Her chest was starting to hurt, badly, her breathing labored...

_SCREAM_

A horrible, bone chilling scream ripped through the air off in the distance. Xion gave a cry, clutched her chest, and fell to a knee.

Piphilx hesitated for a moment before turning, forming a black portal, grabbing Xion's shoulder, and pulling her through. The moment they were back in the World That Never Was, the awful sensation faded away. Piphilx let go of her and turned, looking towards where the portal had been.

"I think... that world is off limits for now," said Piphilx unevenly.

Xion nodded. "Y-yeah, I'll go tell Saix."

"Uh... didn't you guys just leave?" came Axel's voice.

Xion turned to see Axel and a wacky looking guy, who was oddly not in an organization coat. He was a short man, with a gray hat with a peice of paper that said 6/10, gray clothes, with green hair and gray eyes.

"Umm... going there is a bad idea," was all Xion would say.

Axel scratched his head. "Well, okay. Anyway, me and the Mad Hatter are on our way."

"Mad Hatter?" she said, perplexed at the lack of the X in the name.

The short man took off his hat. "A merry birthday to you! It should be an unbirthday, but we need hearts for those."

She stared at him, lost.

Axel walked over and patted her shoulder, leaning forward to whisper. "Don't mind him, he's a little crazy, even without a heart. Doesn't follow any of the rules. Good guy though."

"Okay...," was all she said.

Axel's eyes flickered to Piphilx. "So, see your princess in that quick visit?"

"No," was his reply, sounding almost unhappy.

"Keybearers?" asked Axel.

Piphilx hesitated. "We don't know, we didn't stick around long enough to find out. The entire castle was destroyed, we don't think Aurora was there."

Axel frowned briefly. "Hmm, sounds like a follow up assignment at some point. Anyway, see ya."

"Oh boy, time to go have a tea party with Alice!" said the Mad Hatter.

Axel gave him a dry look. "No, we're not allowed to see her."

"Are too!" whined the Mad Hatter.

Xion took that as her signal to leave as the two started arguing. She and Piphilx bid eachother goodbye and went their separate ways. She returned to the Gray Area, but noted Saix wasn't there. Only Xigbar and Luxord were, sitting on opposite ends of the room.

"Yo, Kiddo," called over Xigbar, "You forget something?"

"Umm... no, the mission's complete, Aurora wasn't there," said Xion.

"Fair enough," said Xigbar.

"Up for a game then till our favorite mission dictator comes back?" called over one of the others waving a few cards at her, Luxord if she remembered right.

"I wouldn't," advised Xigbar, "He cheats."

"I do not, I abhor cheaters I'll have you know," said Luxord, "I'll even start with something simple, Blackjack is an easy game to play."

Game? Well... games were supposed to be fun, right?

She walked over and sat down next to him. "Okay, how do you play Blackjack?"

Luxord began shuffling a deck of cards through the air, magic coating each one. "There are several rule-sets, but the game at it's most basic is simple. Get as close to twenty-one as possible without going over while being ahead of the dealer's hand."

"Close to twenty-one with what?" she asked.

Luxord blanked for a moment before chuckling softly. "The cards of-course, here, I will show you. Xigbar, get over here."

There was an audible sigh as the one-eyed man walked over and plopped down.

Luxord began speaking, "There will be no gambling with a beginner, but under normal circumstances, we would bet munny before we began playing. First, each person is given one face up card..."

Luxord flipped a card for himself, a '7', and then one for Xigbar, a '2'. "Then, everyone is dealt a second card, except, the dealer, me in this case, has his card dealt facedown."

Luxord placed a face down card next to his '7' and flipped over a '10' for Xigbar. "Afterwords, the game of chance begins. You have two options, to 'stand' or to 'hit'. To stand is to keep what you have and not risk another card taking you over twenty-one. So then, Xigbar, what is your choice."

Xigbar looked at the cards, bored. "Hit me."

Luxord flipped over a card, but instead of a number, a picture of a man was on it that had 'K' up in it. "It would seem Xigbar has busted."

Xigbar rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Whats the man count as?" asked Xion, "And what does busted mean?"

"There are three face cards in the deck, a jack, a queen, and a king, for the purpose of this game, they count as '10'. On that note, an ace, a card with an A on it, counts as a '1' in the most basic versions, we'll leave out the '1' or '11' rule for now," explained Luxord, "A bust is when you go over twenty-one, and thus lose."

"Oh, okay," said Xion, "So do you flip your facedown card now?"

Luxord shook his head. "It does not matter at this point, as the only none-dealer player busted, so the dealer automatically wins."

Luxord reshuffled the deck. "So then Xion, are you ready to play?"

"Sure why not," she answered, feeling a little tingly, in a good way though, she wanted to try this out.

Luxord flipped over a '10' for himself, and then a '3' for Xion. He put a facedown card for himself, and then flipped over a '10' for Xion.

"Oh, is there multiple of the same numbers?" asked Xion.

Luxord nodded. "Within a standard deck of cards exists the hearts, the clubs, the spades, and the diamonds, you can tell which one by the symbol on it. I have my own personalized deck, but play with the standard deck with others."

He leaned forward. "So then, what is your choice Xion? Stand, or hit?"

Well... a thirteen wasn't that close to twenty-one. Only a '9' or a '10' card would push her over. "Hit."

Luxord flipped over a Queen of Hearts. "It would seem you busted, number thirteen."

Xion pouted a bit. "Aww, I lose."

Luxord chuckled. "Everyone loses now and then Xion, there would be no purpose or thrill in life if victory was guaranteed. Shall we go again?"

She nodded. "Yeah!"

Luxord flipped over a '9' for himself and a '2' for Xion, he put a card facedown, and then flipped a card with an 'A' for Xion. "Stand or hit?"

Well, there was no way she could go over twenty-one, so..., "Umm, hit!"

Luxord flipped over a jack. "You are at thirteen, number thirteen."

Xion giggled a little at that and leaned forward, focusing eagerly on the deck of cards. "Alright, hit again!."

Luxord flipped over a 6. "You total at nineteen. If I may suggest..."

"Stand," said Xion, standing up.

Xigbar snorted. "You don't actually stand kiddo."

She sat back down, face feeling a little hot with embarrassment. "O-oh, okay."

Luxord seemed amused. "I suppose it's my turn now."

He flipped over '7'. "Sixteen, let us roll the dice then."

He flipped over a 6. "Twenty-two, I bust."

Xion smiled and leaped up excitedly. "I win!"

Luxord raised an eyebrow, staring at her silently.

"Umm, right?" she asked sheepishly, sitting back down.

"I suppose you did," said Luxord quietly, "Shall we play another?"

Play another they did, over and over again. They even managed to get Xigbar into playing with them, at least until...

"Is your mission finished already?" came Saix's voice.

Xion turned her head. "Oh, it was done awhile ago. Aurora wasn't there, her castle was in ruins, and there was a really bad presence coming for us so we left."

Saix blinked once, as if in taking in what she said, before scowling. "And you didn't think to come find me for your next mission? Is goofing off playing games your idea of showing your worth to the Organization?"

"Ah come now Saix, she was entertaining her fellow members," said Luxord, "There's worth in that."

Saix glared at him. "I'll assume you are responsible for detracting her then."

He turned to Xion. "Your next partner will await you at the entrance to the castle, go."

Xion turned back to Luxord and gave him a smile. "Thanks for the games!"

Luxord tilted his head. "My pleasure."

With that, Xion took off...

* * *

Luxord hummed quietly to himself and waited for Saix to leave the room before turning to eye Xigbar. "If I didn't know any better Xigbar, I'd say that child-like excitement she found for the game was genuine, and not faked. Do you not find that a bit, peculiar?"

Xigbar smirked a little. "So you noticed huh?"

"Oh, someone's been keeping secrets," said Luxord, a glint of empty-interest in his eyes.

"As if, I was just in the right place at the right time to overhear something I probably shouldn't have," answered Xigbar.

Luxord snorted. "Ah yes, you just 'happened' to accidentally eavesdrop."

Xigbar smirked, but didn't respond.

"Hmm, I wonder if I should inquire to the Superior about our newest member," mused Luxord, "I'm curious exactly who, or what she is."

Xigbar turned to eye him. "Luxord, I hope you value your life, because if you take that gamble, I guarantee you will lose."

Luxord chuckled. "Most likely."

He leaned back and began shuffling his deck of cards. "Still, I suppose I should be glad to have our newest rather 'unique' member. Gives me someone to play against who actually enjoys a bit of chance. Oh how her eyes trailed ever flip of the card, good odds I'll make a gambler out of her."

Xigbar slowly shook his head. "I wouldn't gamble on anything about her."

Luxord raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

Xigbar turned his head to stare at the door Xion had left through. "Because, if she ends up anything like who she was born from was, Xehanort messed up, big time."

Luxord's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Xigbar grinned and stood up, making for the door to leave. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

* * *

What Xion found waiting for her at the bottom of the castle wasn't what she expected. Instead of one person, there were seven small people in Organization Cloaks arguing amongst themselves about who got to go on the mission. Each of them, save for the youngest looking, were bearded. She stared at the spectacle, before giggling softly at the sight.

The small men all turned to her. "Oh great."

Immediately they started arguing in earnest before one of them called out, "Let the Core Member decide."

Xion rolled her eyes and picked one at random. "You."

"Ha!" said the small man she picked.

The other six groaned and whined a bit.

The small man, the only one with glasses, introduced himself. "I'm Docx."

"Nice to meet you Doxc, I'm Xion," she replied.

Docx formed one of the black portals and motioned. "We shall, erm, shall we?"

Xion moved through the portal and stepped out into a quiet wood.

"Oh bother, I haven't seen home in so long," said the tiny man, wringing his hands together, "I hope Snow White is alright and hasn't done anything foolish without us there to help her."

Snow White.

Another painful tug at her chest.

Xion shook her head and turned to him. "Um, lead the way."

Docx started walking through the woods until they came across a beautiful little cottage across a small stream. "Exactly as it left we, I mean, we left it..."

They kept to the trees until they could circle around to the back of the cottage. "Give me a boost."

"Boost?" she asked.

"Lift me up to the window," he said.

Oh.

She did as he asked and waited.

"Oh! I see her, she's okay," said Docx with relief, "That's good to..."

Docx yelped and struggled, pushing backwards off the window and toppling Xion over. "Oh no, oh boy, trouble trouble trouble!"

Xion rolled over and watched him take off into the woods. "What in the world..."

The sound of a door opening and the pattering of feet was heard. "Doc! Was that you Doc?"

Xion froze as a young woman rounded the cottage and stopped to stare at Xion. "Oh, your not Doc."

The woman had a long yellow skirt, a blue bodice top, and a red cape. Her black hair was short, her brown eyes kind than, innocence seeming to radiate off her.

Xion rose to her feet and stared at the woman, not sure what to do. No one had ever told her what she should do if they were seen on recon...

_Snow White! Please tell me you can hear me!_

Xion paused at that, wondering if the woman could hear the Voice's call, but...

"Did you see a little man with a beard and glasses run by?" asked Snow White.

_Grrr..._

Guess not, but to her question, didn't like to lie, but..., "No?"

Snow White pouted. "Oh dear, I was so sure I saw him."

The woman smiled at her. "Where are my manners? I'm Snow White, who are you?"

This woman seemed nice, Xion returned the smile. "I'm Xion, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you as well," Snow White returned, "What were you doing out here?"

"I was looking around, I've never been here before," she answered somewhat honestly, "You have a nice home."

Snow White grew a bit sad. "It is nice, but, with the dwarves missing, it just isn't the same."

"Dwarves?" Xion asked.

"Small, tiny men, but with big hearts," said Snow White warmly.

Oh... so, those tiny men were dwarves.

She hesitated, before deciding against telling her about them. She remembered Xestba's reluctance to show himself to Belle as a Nobody, the dwarves were probably the same. "I'm... sorry to here that they're missing."

Snow White nodded sadly. "I hope they'll come home soon."

She paused to look over Xion a little closer. "That coat..."

She hesitated, searching Xion's face. "Are you here to cause trouble?"

Xion gave her a blank look. That was a rather abrupt change.

"Umm, no?" answered Xion.

Snow White relaxed. "Oh, okay. I was just told to be careful about people in black coats."

"Why?" asked Xion.

"Sora said they're the ones who took Kairi away," answered Snow White.

Xion winced twice, one for each name, starting to feel dizzy.

Snow White grew curious. "Speaking of Kairi... you look an awful lot like her."

"I... do?" asked Xion faintly.

Snow White nodded. "If you dyed your hair red, you'd look exactly like her."

She paused to reflect. "Well, not quite actually. She had a bit of muscle on her for a girl, not that you could see it through the armor she always had on. She looked a bit rough around the edges for someone so young, not to mention you've been very polite when Kairi could be very rude and upfront at times."

_Excuse me?!_

Xion felt a bit confused at the voice's exclamation before shaking her head. "Well, I'm not Kairi, I'm Xion."

_Dame right you're not._

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you Xion, I'd invite you inside for some tea, but the house is a bit of a mess, I'm still trying to clean up," said Snow White.

"That's alright, thank you for the offer," said Xion.

"Bye," said Snow White, turning and walking away kind of quickly, pausing a bit to give Xion another curious look before disappearing around the house.

Xion turned and left, making for the woods and hoping to bump into...

"Oh, you are there!" said Docx, coming out from behind a tree, "Er, there you are!"

"I um, didn't really know what I was supposed to do when we were seen, so I um... talked to her?" said Xion sheepishly.

Docx winced. "Well... probably don't want to mention that in the mission report."

"You want me to lie?" said Xion, frowning.

"Do you want to get in trouble?" said Docx.

"Well... no," admitted Xion.

"Just say we peeked through the window, saw that she was there, and left," said Docx, "Okay?"

She didn't like lying, but..., "Okay."

With that, Docx formed a black portal, and they left. She bid Docx and the dwarves farewell, and started up the castle. She gave her report to Saix, and retreated to her room. She sat on her bed, crossed her arms, and frowned.

"She... said the 'black coats' took this 'Kairi' away," murmured Xion.

Was she talking about the Organization? If so, why were they kidnapping someone? That wasn't a nice thing to do...

_No shit..._

Xion rolled her eyes at the Voice's gruffness and turned to the other thing that drew her interest, and caused her confusion. "She said... I looked like Kairi. Why do I look like her? Who is she? What is she to me?"

To that, the Voice did not offer a response...

* * *

"Oh dear, where did I put that thing?" said Snow White, scrambling through the mess of a house.

Honestly, she would have thought the world would have been restored to the exact way it had been before. She did not remember leaving this house in such a state of disarray...

"Oh, there it is!" she said.

She picked up a small purple crystal, the one given to her by Master Yen Sid to contact them if she needed any help, out from the laundry basket. "Hello? Is this thing on?"

" _Riku here, something come up Snow White?_ " came in a boys voice.

"Is Sora there?" asked Snow White.

" _He's still out searching for Kairi,_ " answered Riku, " _Why?_ "

"Well, I just met a girl in one of those black coats called Xion who looked and felt an awful lot like Kairi," she answered.

There was silence for a moment.

" _WHAT?_ " exclaimed Riku along with several other voices that had obviously been listening along...


	4. Lady of the Mansion

The next day found Xion walking into a near full Gray Area. Almost all of the Core Organization, save for The Superior and Vexen, were there. They all looked bored and were lounging around.

Xion walked up to Axel, who was standing a bit behind a group of the others playing cards with Luxord. "Morning Axel."

"Morning Xion," he replied.

"Lot of us here this morning," she said.

Axel nodded. "Happens at least once a week when missions are lax. There's enough branches and lesser Nobodies to command that there's sometimes not enough work to do for us."

"Oh, okay, so what do we do on days like...," began Xion.

"Number Thirteen, I have a mission for you," called over Saix.

"Oh boy," said Axel, "You get a mission on the lazy day, lucky you."

Xion shrugged and walked over. "Yes?"

"You are to perform recon again, this time in a world called Twilight Town," said Saix.

"She on crazy lady duty?" called over Axel.

Saix gave him a thin look before turning back to Xion. "Your mission is to observe a blue-haired woman who resides in a mansion there for the day. Go."

"Um... whose coming with me?" she asked.

"No one," answered Saix.

"How do I get there then?" she asked.

Saix looked almost impatient. "Through a Dark Corridor."

Was that what the black portals were called? "How do I make one?"

Saix sighed. "Axel, go teach her how to do it."

"Yeah yeah yeah, c'mon Xion," said Axel.

She followed him out of the room, down into the Hall of Empty Melodies.

Axel turned and crossed his arms. "Now, normally, you'd think a Nobody couldn't use these kind of things."

"Umm... why not?" she asked.

"Because were not darkness, or light, abandoned by both as the Superior likes to say," said Axel before he held up a finger, "But, just because we're creatures of nothingness, doesn't mean we can't use pathways that are already there. It actually makes it easier for us to slip in. Nobodies aren't supposed to exist, we get around a whole lot of rulesets."

Xion frowned. "Everyone has a right to exist..."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Not what I meant. A heart isn't supposed to be separated from it's body, kind of like the whole 'till death do us part' thing. A body walking around and talking without it's heart is kind of... unnatural, if you get my drift."

"I... guess?" she answered.

_He's right, no one should be without their heart..._

And there was the Voice. " _Good morning._ "

_What's so good about it?_

" _Are you going to wake up like this every day?_ " asked Xion with chagrin.

_Yes._

Xion resisted the urge to sigh.

"Anyway, all you need to know how to do, is push open the cracks and slip right in," said Axel, "Dark Corridors are natural pathways, they already exist, they're how most Heartless move around."

"Can we run into these 'Heartless' things in a corridor?" asked Xion.

Axel paused for a moment, thinking it over. "I dunno, I never have, never heard anyone else mention it either."

"Okay," she said, feeling a little relieved.

Axel turned away from her and held out a hand, palm outwards. "All you need to do, is feel for the pathway, and..."

A black portal appeared. "Presto."

"Umm... how do you feel for it?" she asked, baffled.

Axel banished the corridor. "Ya know, feel for the currents of darkness flowing between the worlds."

She stared at him blankly.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Oh boy..."

He walked back over and stood next to her. "Hold out your hand like I did."

She did as instructed.

"Focus your senses, first on your hand," he said, "Then slowly stretch them out, past what you can see, into the darkness between worlds."

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm... not really sure how."

"Here, I'll show you," he said, holding out his arm next to hers, "Close your eyes and follow along with what you can feel."

Xion closed her eyes. "Okay..."

"From your hand, you gather energy," he explained, "Then, you feel out for the pathways in the darkness, and with your energy, you crack open a pathway, open a portal for you to walk."

_Good luck with that, light can't use the darkness..._

Xion felt confused. Was this something she could do or not?

"Well? Give it a try," said Axel.

"Umm... what do you mean by 'with my energy?'" she asked.

"Oh for the love of...," muttered Axel, smacking his forehead.

_I agree with him... this is painful to watch, here..._

Xion gave a startled gasp as an image played across her mind. In it, from the eyes of another, a armored hand was held out infront of her, and a light burst forth.

She found herself mimicking the movement subconsciously, her hand slowly raising, and a soft light emanating from it.

"What the...?" said Axel, looking surprised, "Light? A Nobody using the light?"

Xion shot a burst of light from her hand, trying to mimic what she had felt Axel do, but nothing happened. "I don't get it."

"Umm... you can't open a Corridor of Darkness with light," said Axel awkwardly.

_Told you._

Xion frowned and looked at her hand, contemplative; she drew out a tiny amount of light, watching it coat her hand. "Where did this come from...?"

" _Miss Voice... you said 'here', and then I could do this_ ," said Xion in her head, " _How... did that happen? Why did I see that image?_ "

There was no reply.

Xion narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth at the silence. The voice was keeping something from her, that was obvious enough for her. She had been told as a Nobody she couldn't feel, but she was pretty certain she was feeling anger right now. The notion of people hiding things from her, it set her off for a reason she didn't understand. She clenched her fists tightly...

And the light faded from her hands, replaced by a soft black glow.

There was a startled gasp from the voice. " _W-what was that feeling?!_ "

"Oh, there we go," said Axel, "Just like that, draw out that power and you can open a path between worlds."

Xion stared at the glow around her hand, contemplative.

_T-that chill... is this what it's like to feel darkness being used through your body? Is this... what Master Aqua felt...?_

Xion paused at that name. Something about it tugged at her...

She pushed aside the thought and frowned once more. "If we're abandoned by darkness and light... how can I use them?"

Axel shrugged. "Beats me on the light, you're the first Nobody I've ever seen use it. Anyway, let's go, I'll take you to Twilight Town so you can feel out the pathway you need to open."

Xion nodded absentmindedly and followed him through into an alleyway. She mumbled out a goodbye as he left. She just... felt so confused, what were these powers she could just suddenly draw out?

_How can you use the darkness though? Aren't you supposed to be...? Hmph, well, I guess then you haven't become what they want you to be. Nor will you if I have anything to say in the matter._

" _What's that supposed to mean?_ " demanded Xion.

_Wouldn't you like to know?_

Xion seethed quietly at the Voice's mocking before shaking her head and sighing. She had a mission to do, figuring out cryptic words and the puzzle of the life she found herself in could wait for later. She began to navigate through the town, trying to remain somewhat hidden. She really had no idea where she was supposed to be going. Where was this mansion this 'blue lady' was supposed to be in? She couldn't just well and go ask the people here, she was supposed to not be seen.

She took to slinking around the outskirts of the town, until she came upon an oddity in the wall, a hole that led into a woods. Something about it felt... familiar, as if she had been here once before. It was the oddest of sensations...

She shook her head and started walking through it before pausing. There was a presence on the edge of her senses, something... powerful..., strong enough to make her a bit uneasy. If it was something hostile, she was done for. Yet, the power reeked of nothingness. Was it a fellow Nobody? She reluctantly followed the sensation to the edge of the woods.

There, outside of the woods, was a mansion gated mansion, and outside of the gate talking to one another was a blue haired woman, and a young teenage girl. Xion moved to stand behind a tree and studied them. The girl had brown hair and looked to be around whatever age Xion herself was, she was dressed in an orange shirt and tan pants,

The woman... she was the presence, the immense source of power, and definitely a Nobody.

She had short blue hair. Her eyes were relatively cold, emotionless, and empty, like the rest of her face. Underneath her eyes were blue tear shaped symbols that extended down onto her cheeks and turned into a half-broken heart. Like the symbols on her cheeks, she had a matching gray earring, one half of a broken heart on each. She bore set of somewhat tight looking white and gray full body clothes, showing no skin below her neck. There were white straps across her chest in the shape of an X, with a button of the Nobody Emblem keeping them in place. The back of her top continued down into an gray almost cape like thing, extending down to the back of her ankles.

Xion felt a tug in her chest at the sight of her. She was... drawn... to the woman for some reason, entranced by her. She swore she somehow knew her, and that she was important to her, but she didn't know...

She grew dizzy and raised a hand to her head as she finished the thought: she didn't know why...

She cringed and let out a small pained gasp as a memory hit her...

_She was standing in an infirmary of sorts, looking through someone else's eyes, someone very small, perhaps a child. In front of her was the woman who she had just seen outside the mansion, only, she was different. She was in a slightly dressed down blue version of what she was currently wearing, with pink strips, a different button, and blue hanging cloths instead of the cape. She had no earrings, or tattoos. Her eyes... shone with kindness and care instead of cold emptiness. Was this... was this the blue-haired woman's original self?_

_The woman summoned a blue Keyblade, reversed it's grip, and extended it towards her. "In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking..."_

Suddenly, the memory froze, and then was ripped away from her.

_YOU'RE NOT TAKING THIS ONE!_

Xion wheezed and fell to her knees, pitching forward and slamming her head into the tree as agonizing pain ripped through her chest at the voice's scream of rage. HURT! WHY DID IT HURT SO MUCH? She couldn't even catch her breath enough to scream. She clutched one hand to the tree, and one to her chest, whimpering painfully to herself. She stayed there for a few minutes before the pain slowly started to lessen. She took a ragged breath and leaned against the tree for support.

"What... what was that...?" she whispered painfully.

All she got in reply from the Voice was a seething hiss of anger.

"Please... what's going on?" she begged.

The Voice didn't answer, but Xion swore she could practically feel her anger, for some reason directed at Xion herself.

Xion closed her eyes and took a ragged breath before pushing shakily off the tree. Her legs wobbled a bit, but, she slowly adjusted herself. There was still a throbbing ache in her chest, but she could at least function. Whatever the heck that was, she _never_ wanted to feel it again.

_CRACK_

Xion jumped a little when the sound of thunder filled the air. She went back to the tree and peaked around it. The girl was... practicing magic? Xion's eyes jumped back and forth, noting how the blue-haired woman spoke quietly and made gestures with her hand, as if...

Oh.

She was trying to teach the girl magic.

The girl looked hesitant before aiming a hand at the ground and unleashing a bolt of lightning from her hand. She girl jumped a bit, appearing skittish over her use of the spell. She stared at her hand for a moment, appearing astonished.

Suddenly, she rushed at the blue haired woman and latched onto her in a kind of tackle-hug before squealing, "I DID IT AQUA!"

Aqua.

The name sent a spike of pain through Xion's chest. Why... why did that name seem so familiar to her?

The woman, Aqua, gave a soft empty chuckle. "Well done, did I not tell you that you had the potential to learn, Olette?"

Olette separated from her and smiled sheepishly. "Y-yeah, you did. I just... I never..."

"You were never taught, nor is anyone else here currently capable of wielding magic," finished Aqua, "It's through no fault of their own. Some worlds, to my limited knowledge and memories, simply have no understanding of magic and power despite their own potential. They were simply never introduced to the concepts."

_Shes... teaching her..._

Xion cocked her head at the Voice's shocked words. "Yeah, so?"

_It's... what I had wanted... my whole life...  
_

There was... an air of extreme bitterness and longing about the Voice's tone.

_Grr... well, what do I care, that's... that's not the real Aqua, it's just her Nobody..._

Despite what the Voice said, Xion was 'pretty sure' she was jealous.

_I am NOT!_

"Whatever you say," said Xion aloud, "And who cares if she's this 'Aqua' or her Nobody? Nobody's are people too!"

_If you say so._

"Olette," said Aqua in an odd tone, "Would you go inside and make some tea?"

Olette looked a bit confused. "Umm... sure? I mean, I thought we were going to do this for awhile."

"Oh, we will resume, I merely need to make a new introduction and lay down the ground rules," said Aqua.

Olette blinked a few times before making for the gate. "Oh, well, have fun I guess."

What was that about?

_You were too loud is what._

"Huh?" said Xion.

_WARP_

Xion was surprised when Aqua disappeared in a swirl of gray nothingness...

_WARP_

She gave a yelp as a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She was picked up by the collar of her cloak and slammed into the tree. She looked fearfully at Aqua as the Nobody stared at her coldly. She looked as if she were about to speak before she paused and looked Xion over.

"Hmph, so this is your fate," said Aqua, shaking her head, "I hope your friends were worth it then, Kairi."

_Even she's fooled..._

"M-my name is X-Xion," stammered out Xion, fearful, and yet still confused as to why another person was calling her that.

Aqua cocked her head, and for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you not...?"

Aqua shook head. "I suppose it doesn't matter either way who you are or you are not. The fact still stands that you are in a world under my protection. I'll give you the same warning I give the rest of your Organization. If you harm any of the inhabitants here, destroy their property, terrorize them, or attempt to kidnap them, I will destroy you, are we clear?"

"Y-yes," stammered out Xion.

"And before you even ask, no, I will not join the Organization," said Aqua, "I don't know why they thought sending you to ask would make a difference."

Xion stared at her, baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh? Not sent to attempt to recruit and then spy?" said Aqua almost mockingly.

"N-no," said Xion before hesitating, "W-well, yes to the spying, b-but I don't know why they want me to watch you."

Aqua dropped her and started past her. "I don't particularly 'care' why, I'm not capable of it. Spy all you want, but remember, break my rules and you die."

Xion sat there, stunned and fearful for a moment before she took off in a panic into the woods. Holy crap... that woman was terrifying... but... what was worse was the anxious sensation she swore she felt at that woman not taking a liking to her. For some reason... the thought of Aqua disliking her set her ill at ease. The realization that she was spying on _this_ particular woman made her... well... she swore she felt awful about it...

_Spying on anyone is bad, but... I agree... I would never have spied on the real Master Aqua._

Xion nodded in agreement, and stopped running, taking a quiet breather and leaning against a tree. She contemplated the wave of sensations that had just washed over her. It was so strange, she had thought it before, but nothing of what she had 'felt' seemed faked... were... the others right about not being able to feel?

_Idiot..._

Xion bristled and spoke aloud, "Well then miss know it all, do you know the answer?"

_They aren't fake, but they sure aren't what you think they are, parasite._

Xion narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? Why do you call me that?"

_Wouldn't you like to know?_

Xion bit back a barrage of angry retorts and simply said, "You're not a very nice person."

_Yeah... well I don't have a reason to be right now... especially to you._

"What did I do?" she couldn't help but whine, she didn't enjoy the Voice's constant borderline harassment.

_Just... just... shut... up..._

Xion blinked a few times, hearing a familiar tiredness fill the Voice, Her chest relaxed a bit, and then Xion's eyes furrowed.

Hello?

No response.

She shook her head. "That Voice is something else. Rude, works herself up into a frenzy, and passes out."

Yet... why was she acting like that? Always so bitter, and... she almost seemed pained at times. It was one of the reason's Xion hadn't exploded at the Voice yet. Not to mention... the Voice had actually told her something for once, kind of. She said what Xion felt wasn't fake, but... what was the whole parasite part about? Not to mention... why could she feel when other Nobody's couldn't? It made no sense to her. Was she being lied to...? Or was something else going on?

Xion sighed and started back towards the mansion. As much as she didn't like it, she still had a mission to do. She returned to the edge of the woods and waited. Olette and Aqua returned to their training a bit after she took her spot. She watched, as hours flew by, as the blue haired woman instructed the young girl in magic. The entire time, a tightness filled her chest, along with a longing. She didn't know why, but she wanted desperately to trade places with Olette, and be taught by the woman.

Well...

Not that she understood half the concepts or things Aqua had told Olette about magic...

The girl left a bit after noon, and Aqua went into the mansion. Xion stood there, still behind the tree, a frown on her face. What was she supposed to do now? Saix had said it was 'for the day'. Was she just supposed to wait out here then? Because she sure wasn't barging into the mansion uninvited, that was for certain. She quickly grew bored, found a stick, sat down, tossed it into the air and caught it over and over again, trying to somewhat keep herself entertained as time passed her by...

"Still here huh?" came a young voice.

Xion was startled, and didn't catch the stick as it came down and whacked her head. "Owww."

Xion glanced up at the sound of a giggle, seeing Olette standing a bit from her, trying to suppress a laugh. "Your a total goofball for an Organization member."

Xion huffed a bit. "That's not nice!"

Olette gave her a fake innocent look. "Tee hee."

Xion felt a bit... awkward... to be again talking with someone she was kind of supposed to be doing recon on. Well, recon wasn't specifically on the girl, but, she was associated with Aqua...

Olette studied her for a moment. "Hrm... hey... aren't you that girl..."

Xion sighed. "No, I'm not 'Kairi'."

Olette smiled a bit. "Get that a lot? You do look just like her."

"Mhm," was all Xion said in response.

"You know, if you were trying to spy on us earlier, you were really obvious," teased Olette, "Your head poking out from behind a tree wasn't that hard to spot."

Xion's face burned a bit. "I'm um... not really good at recon. Not that I particularly like spying on people."

"Why do it then?" asked Olette.

Xion shrugged. "Helping out the Organization and doing what they want is the only way I know to get back what's missing."

Olette gave her a sad smile. "At least your trying to get your heart back."

She rolled her eyes. "Unlike 'some' people."

Xion gave her a quizzical look. "Huh?"

"Aqua doesn't particularly care if she has a heart or not. Says she's 'content' with her life at the moment," said Olette dryly.

She sighed. "Someday though, I'd like to meet the true Aqua. I... I love the Lady of the Mansion like a mother, she's always been there for me, saved my life a few times, but... she's not right, not whole. It's painfully obvious at times just how much she can't feel or properly interact with people."

_I'd like to meet the true Aqua again too..._

Oh, miss Voice was back, and hopefully in a better mood.

_Don't press your luck._

Xion slowly shook her head and stood up, dusting herself off.

"You know, if you wanna 'watch' Aqua, why don't you come in and say hi?" said Olette with a mischievous look on her face.

"Umm... maybe later," said Xion sheepishly, a bit skittish to go near that woman again so soon.

"Alright your loss, see ya later miss Org member," said Olette, walking pass her.

"It's Xion," she called after her.

Olette waved a hand back at her. "See ya Xion, I'm having a sleepover tonight, don't think your going to see Aqua again today."

"Okay, thanks," said Xion.

Guess that was her cue to go back to the World That Never Was then. She aimed a palm forward, and remembering what Axel had taught her, tapped into her anger and felt for that pathway linking the two worlds.

_WARP_

She watched the black portal appear before her transfixed by it for a moment.

_It's so... strange, to feel the darkness like this... it's something not natural for me..._

Xion tilted her head. " _You can feel what I just did?_ "

There was silence.

Xion sighed and shook her head before stepping through and coming out at the entrance to the Castle That Never Was. She walked into the castle, passing lesser Nobodies as she went. When she got back to the Gray Area, she was a bit surprised to see what she saw...

An entire room wide card-game was being played, with piles of little circle disks near every person playing. The only one not playing was Saix, and the absent Superior and Vexen.

"Pah, fold," said Axel, throwing his cards down.

"Ah, come now Axel, take the chance, where's your sense of adventure?" asked Luxord.

"About five hands back with half my chips," muttered Axel.

"Agreed," said Mesaxn, putting down his cards as well.

"Why do lazy days always devolve into card games?" said Larxene with a bored sigh.

"Because we let Luxord have his way," muttered Xaldin.

"You're all spoil sports," said Luxord before his eyes flickered to the door, "I bet Xion would have met the challenge."

Axel turned his head towards her and waved and waved. "Yo."

"Shall we deal you in Xion?" called over Luxord, "Poker isn't that hard to learn..."

Saix coughed and moved to cut her off from the table. "Mission report first. Was there anything specific to report on your target?"

"Umm... she's a really scary lady?" said Xion a bit timidly.

"Sounds like she met the 'honored guest' of Twilight Town personally," said Xaldin was a dark chuckle.

Saix crossed his arms. "The purpose of recon, Xion, is to not be seen."

Xion bowed her head and mumbled out an, "Sorry..."

"The Organization has no need of apologies, only successful missions," said Saix coldly.

"Hey, go easy on the newbie," called over Axel.

Saix ignored him. "Was there anything else to report about her?"

"Umm... she was training that Olette girl on how to use magic?" she offered.

Saix paused at that, blinking a few times. "Interesting."

She noticed a few of the others were tilting their heads her way, listening in.

Saix rubbed his chin. "Something new occurring within her daily routine is a curious development, I wonder why it started. Either way, the Superior will want to know. Though, I doubt the girl will become anything noteworthy."

So... it was the Superior himself who wanted Aqua watched?

_With good reason considering she beat his face in as both a person and a Heartless, heck, I wouldn't mind if her Nobody made it three for three... not that she'd ever leave Twilight Town.._

Wait, Aqua and the Superior had fought before?

Saix refocused on her. "Very well Xion, that is potentially useful information, well done."

Xion pushed away her thoughts and brightened at his praise. "Thanks!"

Saix frowned at her. "Don't let it go to your head, you still need to learn to conceal yourself better."

She winced a bit at that. "Yes sir..."

"Was there anything else to report?" he asked.

"Umm... no? Well, she can teleport, is that known?" she asked, feeling a little ashamed at telling them of Aqua's abilities.

"Yes," answered Saix.

"Umm, I got nothing else," said Xion.

"That is what is preferred in regards to your target," said Saix, "If she will not join us, then it is for the best she stays in Twilight Town and does not interfere with our work."

"Considering she killed most of our original selves, I don't want that psycho anywhere near us," said Larxene with distaste.

"She... did?" asked Xion with quiet hurt disbelief.

_No! It wasn't... it wasn't Aqua..._

Xion was a bit surprised, and confused, at the Voice's sudden outburst.

"Her heartless did," correct Lexaeus.

Oh.

"Your mission is finished then, do as you see fit for what remains of the day," said Saix before walking out of the room.

Xion's eyes immediately turned to the table and the gathered Organization members.

Luxord gave a small laugh. "Axel, pull up a chair for her and give her half your chips."

"Whaaaaat?" whined Axel, "Why mine?"

There was a chorus of chuckles as Xion joined the table, an eager smile playing across her lips at the thought of playing a game with all her comrades...


	5. Frustration and Ice Cream

The next day found Xion walking into a near empty Gray Area, unlike the day before. The only two people there were Saix and Marluxia, who were talking quietly to themselves. They stopped when she came into view, and both of them walked over to her.

"Number Thirteen, your mission today will be alongside Marluxia. While he will be your partner if anything goes wrong, this is primarily your duty, not his," said Saix.

Xion nodded. "Okay, so what's the mission?"

"The destruction of a number of Heartless," said Saix, "The Keybearers have been useful the task of empowering Kingdom Hearts through their combat with the Heartless, however, speeding up the process, even by a small amount, is nothing to be overlooked. This, as the Organization's sole Keybearer, is a duty that falls on you alone."

She... had to go destroy Heartless? "Umm... okay."

"Away with you then," said Saix with a wave of his hand.

"Come Xion," said Marluxia, crafting a Dark Corridor and walking through.

She went through the corridor, and came out to find an odd sight. She was standing on the huge corpse of what looked like a tree. There were roots everywhere. She shivered and slowly reached a hand up to her chest, unease spreading across her face. Something about this place was familiar to her, and not in a good way...

"Are you coming or not?" chided Marluxia from up ahead.

Xion took a step forward, but froze as the scene around her warped. The sky turned dark, and Marluxia's form changed to look somewhat like Aqua's, but... it was different, especially that creepy blue and black heart symbol on her chest...

* * *

_Slowly, Aqua stalked forward, eyeing Xion's chest hungrily._

_Xion found herself rising to her feet, and summoning her Keyblade, speaking in a voice that didn't quite sound like her own. "Y-you stay the hell away from me!"_

_"What makes you think you have a choice in the matter?" mocked the woman, "I saved your life, I think I'm owed some compensation for my efforts, not that I need a reason to begin with."_

_Xion found herself swinging Oathkeeper at the woman, only for her to raise a palm and catch it in her bare hand._

_HISS_

_The woman's hand smoked, holding contact with the Keyblade, but didn't seem disgruntled. She pulled her forward and then thrust her other hand into Xion's chest, electing a horrific scream from the girl. Aqua threw the Keyblade away, and wrapped her other arm around the girl, pulling her in close, almost like a hug, a terrifying, painful, torturous hug..._

_She purred into Xion's ear. "I'm so close Kairi, I know it, I feel it. There are so few gaps left in Aqua's memories. If this doesn't awaken what's left, then, we'll only need do this one more time. So scream for me child..."_

* * *

Xion staggered a bit and fell to the ground, one hand clutching her chest, one hand on the ground for support, and gave a small scream of surprise and phantom pain. What... what the heck was that?!

_You can take that one... I sure as heck don't want it..._

"Xion," came Marluxia's calm voice.

She glanced up at him.

"Is something the matter?" he inquired, yet making no move to offer her aid.

"I... I don't know," whispered Xion fearfully.

She didn't understand... what was going on?

Marluxia studied her for a moment before reaching down and roughly hauling her up. "We have a mission to do, I have no time for your internal struggles."

_Internal stru... that bastard... he knows..._

" _Knows what?_ " asked Xion.

The Voice didn't respond aloud, merely grumbling something crude that Xion couldn't quite catch.

Marluxia let go of her and started walking. "Let's go."

Xion took a shaky breath, shook her head, and started after him. She was really starting to get frustrated with, and scared of, this weirdness happening to her. She just wanted it to stop...

She followed him along the maze of roots, eventually exiting into a canyon like area...

She gave a startled gasp when tiny little black creatures with yellow eyes oozed out of the ground. "W-what are those?!"

Marluxia glanced back at her. "Shadows, lesser heartless that are not worth our time, destroy them and let us be on our way."

"B-by myself?" she squeaked out.

Marluxia scoffed. "Of course, you act like it will be difficult, now destroy them."

"B-but how?" she asked.

He frowned at her. "With the Keyblade of course."

She summoned Oathkeeper and glanced back and forth between it and the slowly oncoming Heartless. "How?"

Marluxia gaped at her. "You're not serious, are you?"

Xion stared at him blankly.

Marluxia rubbed his forehead. "You can't draw any knowledge or strength from her, can you?"

"Huh?" said Xion, confused.

Marluxia pointed at the Heartless. "Attack them with your Keyblade, swing it at them."

Xion felt nervous, but slowly started inching forward. "O-okay..."

"H-hiya!" she squeaked out, smacking the nearest little Heartless with the flat of her Keyblade, sending it sprawling away.

"I-I did it!" she exclaimed.

_Are you serious..._

Xion gave a yelp of pain and surprise when one of the Heartless she wasn't paying attention leaped at her and scratched her arm. "Owww!"

She scrambled away and swung her Keyblade, batting it away. "That hurt..."

_By the light... this is pathetic... they're just shadows..._

"What _IS_ this mockery?" shouted Marluxia.

Faster than Xion could follow, Marluxia had a scythe out and slew the shadows. He stormed to her, empty wrath on his face. Xion gave a yelp as he lifted her up, carried her back, and slammed her, hard, against a nearby rock.

"If you cannot even fight, than you are useless to my goals and not worth the effort. You will become 'unnecessary' to keep around. That goes for both of you," warned Marluxia.

"B-both?" said Xion with confusion.

_Grrr..._

"If you cannot perform, then you will be destroyed," he snarled at her, "And I will do it myself."

Xion's eyes widened with terror. "W-what?!"

Marluxia turned and threw her forward. Xion landed with a thud and winced. She rolled onto her back and glanced up, giving a startled cry to see her supposed comrade leaping through the air, scythe raised to kill her and...

_NO!_

Xion gave a pained cry as memories, so many of them, suddenly blew through her mind at a pace that she could barely register them in detail...

Of Nexol teaching her how to handle a sword...

Of Xuffiey showing her how to use daggers, shurikens, fight dirty, and how to quickly position herself on a battlefield...

Of Xitheria trying to help her start learning how to use her light...

Of a white-robed man with a Keyblade instructing her on how to channel her light, and further lessons to improve her form with a Keyblade...

Of a woman with with an eye-patch showing her some advanced sword and light skills...

Yet... each and every memory...

They always called her Kairi...

_MOVE!_

Xion came out of her daze in time to see Marluxia's scythe descending for her. She rolled and pushed off the ground in time to dodge it as he embedded it into the ground. She used the time it took him to remove it from the ground to charge him, bathing her Keyblade in light and slicing it into his shoulder.

Marluxia hissed in pain, but didn't seem upset, in fact, he grinned. "There's no motivator quite like the threat of one's own demise, is there Kairi?"

_Bastard..._

Xion glared at him. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?!"

Marluxia's response was to charge at her and swing. Xion fell to a knee and swung up, parrying his scythe into the air before aiming a hand at his chest.

"Shock!" she roared.

Light exploaded out of her hand and slammed into him, sending him flying through the air and onto his back.

Xion stared at him, and then at her hand. "What... is this?"

"Hmph, I see you still use other's moves rather than inventing your own," mocked Marluxia.

Xion's eyes flickered back and forth between him and the Keyblade before she gave a cry of frustration and threw the Keyblade to the ground. "What is going on?!"

Suddenly, a sensation of longing filled her fingertips, and she drew her hand back. Oathkeeper disappeared in a flash of light and returned to her hand. She stared at it silently, growing more and more frustrated.

Marluxia chuckled darkly and banished his scythe. "I suppose that'll do, the Superior would be displeased if I accidentally hurt you."

Xion looked at him in shock. "You... I... what? You said you were..."

"Going to kill you?" said Marluxia before chuckling, "I'd be turned into a dusk at minimum if I did that. I merely gave you and your other half some motivation. Now, let us resume, you have a mission to complete."

_That... that scheming bastard... I swear I'm going to kill him one day..._

When he started to walk passed her, Xion moved to cut him off, her eyes narrowing. "Tell me what's going on. How did that happen? What were those memories?! What did you mean by 'other half'?"

Marluxia gave her a cruel smile. "You've awakened some of your power, _Xion_ , but not nearly enough to force an answer out of me."

He moved to push her aside, but she latched onto his arm with a tight fist that glowed fiercely with light. "I want answers!"

"I don't think the Superior would be pleased if I went tattling his secrets," said Marluxia mockingly.

"I don't care!" retorted Xion.

They stood at a standoff, both of them locking eyes with one another.

Slowly, a wicked smile played across his face. "Your not the obedient little puppet I think the Superior believes you to be, are you Xion?"

She merely glared at him.

"Prove your worth to me Xion, show me the rage of the Keyblade, and perhaps, if you show me loyalty, when I'm ready to make my move, I'll offer you your truth," baited Marluxia.

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Your... move?"

Marluxia broke her grip and pushed her aside. "You will see, in time. Come, there are Heartless for the Keyblade to reap."

Xion seethed but followed behind him, her anger boiling. She found that the Heartless were a welcomed vent for her frustration. She had, at first, just been baffled and a little scared of the creatures. After that... memory rush... she felt a repulsion for them that hadn't been there before. These things drew out a deep seated hate from her that she did not understand...

Ah who was she kidding?

At this point, what _DID_ she understand? Nothing made sense to her...

She followed and did as Marluxia directed, slaughtering the Pureblood Heartless and few Emblem Heartless as she came across them. Which, in itself was another confusing thing to her. How did she suddenly know that they were purebloods, and that 'Emblem' versions were a different breed? She forced herself to bottle up her anger and confusion, silently carving through any Heartless they came across for the next several hours.

By the time Marluxia finally called it and took them back to the Castle That Never Was, she was about ready to blow.

"Until next time Xion," said Marluxia, leaving the Gray Area alongside Saix.

"Yo, Xion," came Axel's voice.

She turned and barked out, "What do you want?!"

Axel was momentarily taken aback. "Uh... I take it your mission didn't go well?"

She found herself echoing the Voice's earlier words. "I swear I'm going to kill that man one day."

Axel cracked a grin. "Ah, mission partners sure are the greatest, aren't they?"

Xion glared at him.

Axel moved to stand next to her and aimed a hand forward. "C'mon Xion, what you need is the 'icing on the cake' to help you relax."

"The... what?" she asked, baffled.

He put an arm around her shoulder and practically dragged her through. "You'll see."

"H-hey!" she exclaimed.

It was too late though, he dragged her through, and out into Twilight Town near a shop. Axel let go of her and walked into the shop. She stood there a scowl plastered across her face, until he walked out with two wrapped 'things'.

She glanced down at the small bar like shapes. "What are those?"

"Wait and see, gotta go to the tower first, it's the best view," he said.

She sighed and followed behind him. "Sure, whatever..."

"Someones down in the dumps," said Axel.

She didn't reply.

"C'mon, where's that innocent naive goofball?" teased Axel, "Angry PMS doesn't suit you, that's Larxene's thing."

"H-hey!" she said, glaring at him.

He just laughed and kept on walking. Xion followed him through the town, into a train station, and to her unease, ontop of a clock tower. She warily followed him to sit down on the front part of it.

"Uh... is this safe?" she said warily.

"Sure, just make a Dark Corridor if you fall," said Axel.

"That's... not really reassuring," she muttered.

There was a small ripping sound, and Xion turned her head to see Axel opening the two wrapped 'things'. They were small little blue rectangles on a stick.

He offered her one. "Here, the 'icing on the cake'."

She took it and stared at it, baffled. "What... is it?"

Axel had his half-way to his mouth before he paused. "Really? You don't know what ice cream is?"

_I almost feel sorry for you, almost._

Xion grumbled a little to herself at Axel's disbelief and the Voice's mocking. "No."

"It's a dessert, this particular kind is called Sea Salt Ice cream," he said before taking a bite of his.

Xion stared at the ice cream in her hand before hesitatingly taking a bite, her eyes going wide after. "Oh! It's salty, but sweet."

"Thus the name, got it memorized?" asked Axel a bit teasingly.

Xion ignored the teasing, eyeing the ice cream in her hand with childlike glee. It was devoured within the next ten seconds and...

"O-oh...," she said, shivering a bit and raising a hand to the side of her head.

"Ha, ice cream headache, you can't eat something that cold that fast," said Axel.

"You could have warned me!" said Xion.

Axel merely chuckled in response before taking another bite of his icecream.

Xion stared down at her now ice cream free stick, pouting a bit. She should have taken that a bit slower and... wait a sec...

"Hey Axel, what's with the 'winner' on the stick?" she asked, showing it to him.

Axel raised an eyebrow before scowling. "Really? On your first ice cream?"

She hesitated. "Is... it a bad thing?"

Axel shook his head and laughed. "Nah, it means you won a free ice cream."

Her eyes went wide. "I did?!"

"Mhm, every so often, you'll find an icecream with that on it, you can turn it in for a free ice cream," he explained.

Xion was about to leap up and go run for another before she paused. "Hmm."

She glanced down at the stick again. "I think... I'll save it for later then."

Axel poked the side of her head. "Now that's thinking, can't splurge all at once after all."

Xion batted his hand away and pocketed the stick, a smile on her face, before she raised her head and glanced out over the town. A... strange warm feeling filled her stomach, staring out at the sunset...

_It's a beautiful sight..._

Xion agreed with the Voice on that.

"Say Xion..., bet you don't know why the sun set's red," said Axel.

"Umm, nope," she answered.

"You see, light is made up of lots of colors, and out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest," he explained.

Xion pondered the answer for a moment. "What about all the other colors?"

Axel shrugged. "Beats me, what do I look like, a know-it-all?"

Xion stuck her tongue out at him, her grinned in response.

She leaned back against the tower, a soft smile on her lips, her shoulders and body relaxing, not a hint of her previous frustration present. "Hey Axel..."

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thanks," she said quietly, "For getting me ice cream and bringing me up here."

He half smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?"

She turned her head towards him. "Friends?"

"Yeah, it's what friends do," he said, leaning back as well, he glanced over at her, "We're friends right?

Xion gave him a big smile. "Yeah, friends..."

They sat there, staring out onto the sunset as the rest of the day passed them by...


	6. Seeking Kairi

Xion didn't go for the Gray Area when she woke up. She laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling silently. Axel had distracted her from her thoughts and worries yesterday, and while it certainly hadn't been unwelcomed, she _NEEDED_ to figure out what was happening to her. She raised a hand into the air and summoned Oathkeeper, staring at the Keyblade contemplatively.

"How can someone go from not being able to really fight at all, to being able to land hits against Marluxia?" she muttered, "It makes no sense and..."

She slowly lowered her hand and rested Oathkeeper on her stomach as she whispered, "It... scares me."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "And those memories..."

She sat up. "Miss Voice, are you there? Do you have any ideas?"

Silence.

Whether the Voice was choosing not to answer, or she was asleep, Xion didn't know. She sighed quietly to herself before swinging herself to the edge of the bed, letting her legs dangle off. She kicked out a few times, pondering what to do.

"Kairi...," she whispered, "That name people keep calling me, or say I look like... I... I have to find out who she is."

She nodded to herself. "After missions today, I'm going to figure it out."

She deflated. "Hopefully..."

She rose to her feet, banished Oathkeeper, and walked out the door, making for the Gray Area. She got in line behind a number of the other members getting missions from Saix. When it came to be her turn, he scowled at her.

"You're late," he said.

She frowned. "No one ever told me there was a time I was supposed to be here."

Saix didn't respond to that, instead he motioned to the door, "Xaldin just took the last available mission. Go find something to do elsewhere."

Xion blinked a few times. "Oh, umm..."

Wait, that was good! "Okay!"

She was out the door in a flash. It was even better this way, now she'd have the entire day to try to figure things out instead of having to wait till a mission was done. She contemplated how to go about this as she descended the Castle That Never Was. It hit her a moment later. Xifta. She had been the first one to call her Kairi. Might as well go straight to the source.

She descended the castle and started out into the city, passing a multitude of other Nobodies as she went. She reached Nobodies Heaven and walked in, re-doing her initial passover of the place she had done before she had passed out to that pain attack.

Wooden tables and chairs everywhere, a large bar at the back, with bottles of various liquids behind it. The floor was wooden as well, with hanging lights and fans on the ceiling. The place was packed full of Nobodies, and lesser Nobodies carrying drinks to the humanoid ones sitting at the tables. But there was more she hadn't had a chance to notice. Ceiling fans, giving of a soft, flickering light as they spun. A duet of Nobodies with instruments playing music at the front, a blonde man with a sitar, and a little girl with short purple hair and a horn of all things growing out of her forehead that was playing a flute. There were people playing cards at a table. Those sitting at the bar were talking and jeering at one another, clinking drinks together. Xifta stood behind the bar, mixing a drink, a soft smile on her face that almost looked whole and not empty or forced.

Xion shared that soft smile. Something about this place, this setting, felt so familiar, and set her at ease.

She cringed as a spike of pain ripped through her chest and the scene warped before her...

* * *

_Xion found herself, like in some of the other memories, looking down from a smaller body out of the eyes of another. She was walking next to Nexol, only coming up to his tights in height, holding his hand as she was led into a bar that looked similar to Nothing's Heaven, instead, there was a sign that said 7th Heaven._

_He led her up to the bar and hoisted her up to sit on one of the stools. "Something hard for me, apple juice for the kid."_

_Xion found herself speaking in a young voice that sounded different than her own. "Nuh uh, I want what your having dad!"_

_Nexol glanced down at her, eyebrow raised. "Maybe when you're thirty."_

_Xifta snorted with laughter. "Thirty? Didn't know you were a helicopter dad."_

_Nexol shot her a look._

_"But I want it now!" whined Xion._

_"No buts," said Nexol._

_"Besides, you don't want beer, it tastes nasty," said Xifta._

_"Why does dad drink it then?" asked Xion._

_"Well, you'd have to ask him Kairi," said Xifta, shooting Nexol a teasing look..._

* * *

Xion violently shook her head and blinked rapidly to clear her head at the name Kairi. She raised a shaking hand to massage the side of her head. Again with these memory flashes...

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out before moving to the bar and sitting down. Xifta's eyes flickered to her briefly, dipping her head in a greeting, before returning to her current customer. She knew it would be rude to butt in before Xifta finished with those who came before her, so, she waited patiently until the woman finally got around to her.

"Good morning Xion, haven't seen you for a few days," said Xifta.

Xion scratched the back of her head. "Sorry, been on missions and trying to get to know my comrades a bit better."

Xifta rolled her eyes. "Hope that womanizer isn't giving you to much trouble."

It took her a moment to remember that was what she called Axel. "Oh, no, Axel's really nice and has been helping me out."

Xifta crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, not seeming to believe her. "That so?"

"Ahuh, yesterday's mission kind of sucked, Marluxia is... not my favorite comrade at the moment," Xion said a bit icily, "So Axel got me some ice cream."

Xifta blinked a few times. "Huh, maybe he has a soft spot for kids."

Xion shrugged. "He's a nice friend."

Xifta gave her a small empty smile before asking, "So, what brings you down here?"

"Well... there's no missions for me to take right now," she mumbled, feeling a bit nervous to ask the question she wanted to ask.

"Ah, looking to relax I see," said Xifta before wagging a finger at her, "The only thing I serve minors here is juice or water though."

"I didn't want a drink," she mumbled, "I um... w-wanted to ask you something."

Xifta cocked her head. "What?"

Xion cleared her throat and worked up the nerve to ask. "Xifta... who is Kairi?"

The woman paused at that, staring at her silently.

"People keep calling me that," explained Xion.

"She's... a girl who looks a lot like you," said Xifta softly.

Xion rolled her eyes. "So I've heard."

Xifta cracked a smile at that.

Xion frowned and seriously contemplated it. "Are we... related or something? I don't remember from before I was born as a Nobody, was she my sister?"

Xifta hesitated. "N-no..."

Well, there went her first idea.

She sighed. "It's just... I don't understand whats going on. I'm... seeing things, memories... in them, people keep calling me by that name..."

She paused at that, working it over. People kept calling her Kairi... maybe she was looking at this the wrong way...

* * *

_The man waved a hand out before her, and letters formed in the air, she read them off, "X-I-O-N."_

_"Xion," she said softly, "Is that... my name?"_

_"Until you claim your original name for your own, it will be," answered the Superior, that cruel smile showing under his hood once again._

* * *

Until she claimed her original name... was... she Kairi? Was that her original self's name?

_No, it's not!_

Xion blinked a few times. " _Oh, there you are, good morning miss Voice._ "

_It's not YOUR name!_

Xion was a bit off-put by the viciousness of the Voice's words. " _Okay, but... how do you know? Do you know Kairi?_ "

_..._

" _Well?_ " asked Xion.

_Yeah, I do, and your not m... not her._

Oh...

Xion felt a bit disappointed at that, she so desperately wanted to have an answer as to what was going on. Recalling memories of her true self would have explained everything...

"I just don't understand," muttered Xion, reaching a two fingers up to rub her temple.

Xifta gave her a pitying look. "It'll sort itself out Xion, don't worry."

_Also, what is that screeching going on?_

Xion blinked and tilted her head towards the two people playing instruments. " _Them...?_ "

_Light, that's awful sounding._

"Like Demyx and Xokie's music?" asked Xifta, noting where Xion was looking.

"Umm... it's something?" she offered in response, not sure how exactly to judge it or not.

Xifta cracked a grin. "They try their hardest, but it's a bit hard to put their 'heart' into it."

Xion tilted her head for a moment, considering her words. "Was... that a Nobody joke?"

Xifta chuckled. "Maybe."

She glanced back over at the two people playing music.

D-E-M-Y-X

D-E-M-Y

D-M-E-Y

D-Y-E-M

D-Y-M-E

Y-...

_Are you really going to try to sound out all combinations for their names?_

Xion paused at the interruption. " _Well, why not? It's kind of fun to try to figure it out."_

_Fun? You find that fun? Really?_

" _Yeah, why don't you try with the girl?_ " said Xion.

_No._

" _C'mon, pleaaaaase?_ " whined Xion.

_No._

" _Your always so grouchy, have some fun for once_ ," said Xion.

_If I could throttle you, I would._

" _I'm not going to stop pestering until you do,_ " teased Xion.

_Ugh... fine._

Xion couldn't help but smile triumphantly as the Voice started sounding out combinations.

_X-O-K-I-E_

_O-K-I-E_

_O-K-E-I_

_O-I-K-E_

_O-I-E-K_

_O-E-I-K_

_O-E-K-I_

_E-O-K-I_

_E-O-I-K_

_E-I-O-K_

_E-I-K-O_

...

_Wait what?_

Xion tilted her head. " _What is it?_ "

_Eiko... isn't that the name of one of Garnet's friends who lost her... oh... oh gosh... no way... she's just a little girl... she fought those clowns? She fought that monster? That... that beast murdered a little girl!_

Xion had gone still, feeling her chest tighten and constrict. The Voice sounded so distraught that it upset her too. But what did she mean by... by... clowns...

One of Xion's hands shot to the bar for support, and the other went to her chest as she felt another spike of pain and an oncoming memory...

* * *

_Xion found herself on a flat kind of roof, on what looked like a castle. The sky far above her was dark and clouded, darkness coating the air like a mist._

_Before her were two clowns that were creeping her out, majorly. One clown was dressed in red and white, the other blue and white. Both had face paint on. They had pointed hats with three ends that had yellow bells on the end of them. They wore collared jackets with long sleeves that hid there arms. They had long, pointy shoes. On their chests were the emblem Heartless symbol._

_The clowns laughed and spoke at the same time, "Be warned, the twins are not easy prey to battle. Though, I suppose I should be honest and tell you they're not really twins at all. They're not even human, even before I turned them into Heartless."_

_The clowns began to reverberate and shimmer, their body parts beginning to turn and twist unnaturally. Xion took a horrified step back when the clowns began to merge together, sickening sounds of flesh tearing and warping filling the air. Xion couldn't help but let loose a sickened and terrified scream as their form began to warp, twist, and enlarge into a disturbing monster of the likes she had never seen before, one that she had to bring a hand up to block her mouth to stop her from throwing up at the sight of._

_The two clowns had turned into a demonic looking large, twin headed, inside out person. Organs and muscle that should have been hidden behind skin were on display, their rib cage cracked open and revealing flesh, and the Emblem Heartless symbol where a heart should have been. It had two fleshy and sharp wings instead of arms to it's slide, in addition to two mandible like appendixes shoot out of it's chest. Instead of legs, their lower half had merged together, looking like a disgusting fleshy cape that wrapped around it, save for a brown fleshy spine like appendix that ran down it's center length. The presence it gave off was horrifying, sickening, terrifying, and more... it was... pure evil, of the likes Xion had never felt before..._

_"By the light," she whispered in a voice not her own, trying not to puke her guts out, "What **IS** this thing?!"_

_The Heartless Monster gave a mocking, disturbing twin laugh as a they spoke in an unholy ca-joined voice, "I believe they call it, Meltigemini. I hope you enjoy it, Princess. It will be a test to see how much you have grown since becoming a Wielder."_

* * *

Xion brought her arm up to retch into, feeling her stomach twist. "Oh... oh gosh..."

Xifta reached over and grabbed her arm to help steady her, empty concern on her face. "Xion? You okay?"

"That... that clown monster... was that what turned her into a Nobody?" whispered Xion, mortified.

Xifta's eyes went wide. "What? She told me about that... but... how do you know?"

A few of the nearby Nobodies were looking at them with empty curiosity.

"Hey Xelemnra, take over for a bit," said Xifta, calling out to someone.

Xion turned her head to see a young brown haired girl walking to step behind the counter as Xifta moved to walk out of it.

_Marlene too...?_

Xion turned her head when Xifta walked to her and motioned for her to rise. "We need to talk."

Xion rose from the stool, feeling a little sickly and woozy, sorely wishing that noxious image would get out of her head. She followed Xifta as the woman moved through the bar, pausing briefly to beckon Xokie to join them. The little purple haired girl in a black cloak stopped playing, pocketed her flute, and followed behind Xion into a back storage room, the same one Xion had woken up in after she had passed out her first time in the bar.

"Whats up?" asked Xokie.

Xifta hesitated and looked at Xion.

"You're... Eiko?" Xion asked the young Nobody quietly.

Xokie blinked a few times. "Uhh... well I was."

The girl frowned and pulled out her flute, twirling it between her fingers, almost like a nervous habit. "You know who I was, but, I don't think... have we met?"

"N...no...," said Xion, feeling dizzy.

"G-garnet m-misses you," whispered Xion in a dual voice, one sounding like her, one sounding like a voice she heard in the memory flashes.

Xokie's eyes went wide. "What?"

Xifta stiffened and questioned very quietly, "Kairi?"

_Oh man... doing that doesn't feel good..._

Xion clutched her head and fell to a knee. "Gna... what's... going on...?"

"Hey hey hey, don't force it Kai... Xion," said Xifta, moving over to kneel down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Umm... are one of you going to get around to telling me what's going on?" demanded Xokie, looking slightly peeved, putting her hands on her hip.

"The clowns... Kairi and Garnet killed the Meltigemini monster," said Xion, still feeling a little dizzy.

Xokie went still, she went very still for a moment before she frowned and gripped her flute tightly. "So, that thing finally kicked the bucket?"

She crossed her arms and scowled. "Hmph, about time they got their butts around to beating it! Took them long enough, I would been out there every day trying to get it, not waiting years to do it!"

"You... fought that thing alone when you were a person?" she asked, recalling miss Voice's initial disbelief.

Xokie shook her head. "Nope! I wasn't alone, I had Mog."

She frowned. "Well... I did before he..."

She trailed off, her lips going tight.

"I got separated from the others and captured," said Xokie quietly, "When the clowns first tried to take my heart, Mog saved me and we beat them. Then... that old man showed up and turned them into Heartless. We tried to fight them, but... we were on our own. We tried... but... that monster was so powerful, and the old man was there, and there were so many lesser Heartless..."

Xokie trailed off for a moment, looking a little uncomfortable. "I... well... I lost my heart, and Mog disappeared afterwords as my heart was consumed by darkness. I can still remember, when Dagger and the Keybearers arrived as I was fading away. Dagger... just looked so stricken..."

"Dagger?" questioned Xion.

"Oh, uh, a nickname Princess Garnet had to try and hide who she was way back when it all began," said Xokie.

_Xehanort... I hate that man SO much... how many lives have to be ruined before that bastard is satisfied?!_

Xion gave Xokie a sad look. "I'm sorry..."

Xokie shrugged. "It's whatever, can't really care about it, being a Nobody and all."

_Ask her... tell her... to go see Garnet, she misses her..._

"Have you thought about, ya know, going to see Dagger?" asked Xion.

Xokie shook her head and pocketed her flute. "Nope, don't wanna."

"Why not? Isn't she your friend?" asked Xion.

Xokie frowned at her. "She was Eiko's friend, not mine. She wouldn't want to see me."

"Are you sure?" asked Xion.

Suddenly, Xokie laughed an empty laugh for a few moments before she grew quiet. "I can laugh, I can tease, I can yell, I can scream, I can try to seem happy or sad, but it's all fake. I won't hurt her like that, to see me like this."

Before Xion could see anything, Xokie turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

_Existence as a Nobody... is truly an awful thing..._

Xion started to go after her before Xifta grabbed her shoulder. "Don't."

Xion turned to give her a questioning look.

Xifta merely shook her head. "It's her choice."

Xion sighed. "I guess..."

"Xion... you said you had been seeing memories?" asked Xifta.

She hesitated. "Umm... what's a helicopter dad?"

Xifta stared at her blankly for a moment before chuckling. "I remember that."

"A... helicopter dad is someone who cares about you so much, that they kind of hang over your shoulder so much that they kind of interfere with everything you do trying to keep you safe," said Xifta.

_He was that, wasn't he? If not through himself, then through others..._

"He... cared about Kairi a lot?" Xion asked.

"More than you can imagine," said Xifta in an almost sad tone, "Leon, Nexol's somebody, wasn't very good at showing it, but, he did care."

Xion cocked her head at an odd sound. It almost sounded like someone was trying to hold back a sob.

_I... I miss the real Leon... so much..._

Was... miss Voice crying?

_I... I am not!_

This... was the first time she had really heard the Voice be anything but angry... it made her stomach twist to hear the Voice be sad...

" _It's okay_ ," said Xion, " _I think I'd cry over someone I miss too._ "

There was nothing offered in response, only a faint sniffling.

"What about you?" Xion asked Xifta, "Did you care about Kairi too?"

There was a startled hiccup from miss Voice at her question.

Xifta gave Xion a soft smile and walked up to her, ruffling her hair. "Yeah, she meant a lot to me. She..."

A sad look crossed her face. "Kairi was... a... special child, to us all. I... we all wished we could have given her a better life. She tried so hard to help out and get stronger rather than just being a normal child. It hurt sometimes, to see so young a child forcing herself into that kind of lifestyle."

Xifta moved away and leaned against a wall, crossing her arms and sighing. "But, she was stubborn and driven. We all would have given anything to let her live a normal, happy life, but... she resisted it every chance she got..."

Xifta grew quiet, her eyes tightening. "I... remember when she stopped playing with the other children. She didn't say why, she just... stopped, focused all her efforts on her training and helping out the Guardians of Traverse Town. Sometimes... she looked really alone. We could never get it out of her why."

She closed her eyes. "She was an innocent, hopeful child at first... but... as the years dragged on she just..."

There was a soft, choking sound from the voice.

"She lost that innocence, especially when the riots first started and we had to fight those we were supposed to be protecting. She tried to act strong, and she certainly was. But, we could see it, as she grew hardened and bitter. Don't get me wrong, she could still laugh and joke around with the best of them, but... at times, she'd seem hollow and sad, especially if she heard anything about the Keybearers, she was so hopeful to learn anything about her 'Master Aqua', but each time, there was no news, and it ate away at her," said Xifta, slowly opening her eyes, "That hurt us more than anything, to see her die a little inside each time it happened, and be able to do nothing to truly comfort her. She'd just clam up and pass it off as nothing. It's why Leon tried to steer her clear of anyone who had any information on them."

_That's not... I just... I... I'm sorry Tifa... I'm so sorry..._

"Sometimes, when we were on patrol, I'd catch her just staring into the night's sky silently, a longing look in her eyes," said Xifta, slowly shaking her head, "She still had hope, but, if Traverse Town hadn't fallen, I'm not sure how much longer she would have held onto it. We all knew our days were numbered, whether the Heartless would claim us, or our supplies would dwindle to the point where we couldn't sustain our ever growing population, or anarchy took us, but, she at least had that spark to try and keep on going day by day, ignoring the inevitable."

She gave her a sad smile. "Most of us just put on a happy face for her sake."

Xion didn't know what to say. "I... why were things... like that? So bleak?"

Xifta looked at her, surprised. "You..."

"Oh, that's right, you don't remember," said Xifta, "You have no memories of the Heartless Apocalypse, of the refugee world of Traverse Town..."

Xifta looked away. "You don't remember that final stand..."

Her gaze hit the floor. "As I passed on, as I faded away and became a Nobody, I heard it. I heard her scream, I heard that pain and anguish from Kairi. We died, we left her all alone, and we hurt her so much by doing so..."

Xion was definitely sure miss Voice was full on crying quietly to herself, she just... wished she knew where the Voice was... she sounded like she needed the biggest hug right now...

_S-s-shut up..._

"Xion...," said Xifta quietly.

"Yeah?" Xion replied.

"Hold onto your innocence as long as you can," murmured Xifta, "Maybe you can live the life Kairi never got to live, and be the happy girl she never got to be."

Miss Voice cried even harder at that.

Xion stared at Xifta, confused at that statement. "I don't... understand..."

But Xifta didn't answer, she turned to the door, opened it, and walked out. Xion stood there in the room silently, her head bowed, thinking over everything Xifta had told her. Her words left... a heavy ache in Xion's chest, a painful throb that wouldn't go turned away from her own ache though, and focused on someone else...

" _Are you okay miss Voice?_ " asked Xion, " _You seemed upset._ "

There was a heavy silence.

She sighed and slowly shook her head, left the room, left the bar, and walked out into the City That Never Was.

Xion glanced up as something wet hit her forehead, sighting storm-clouds overhead. She slowly reached up and drew her hood up over head as the rain started to fall.

"Kairi...," she whispered the name aloud.

She had learned a bit about the girl, but... there was still so much she had yet to figure out. It suddenly hit her, that Xifta had never let on why she looked like Kairi, or what her relation was to the girl. She felt a bit of temper at that, but let it bleed away, it couldn't hold against the words the woman had spoken. Maybe she could figure more out from one of the others of Nothing's Watch. She nodded to herself and started making for the Alleyway to Between. She reached the entrance to their branch of the Organization and walked in.

Sitting at the reception desk, fiddling with a screwdriver and a sparking little robot, was Xiroh. "Hello."

The boy paused to glance up at her. "Hello."

He returned to fiddling with his robot.

"Umm... can I ask you a question?" she asked.

Xiroh shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Do you know who Kairi is?" she asked.

Xiroh set down his screwdriver and gave her a hard look.

"What?" she asked, a little taken aback.

"I'm not allowed to say," was all he said before resuming his work on his robot, "And I'm not getting Xithera on my case for having loose lips."

"Is... she in? I'll ask her then," said Xion.

Xiroh motioned to the back. "Yeah, it's not like she leaves here. She practically lives on her throne brooding if she's not out on a mission."

_That... doesn't sound like the Aerith I know... Xifta's at least similar to Tifa, but..._

Xion moved passed him and further into the building. She paused as she entered their lounge, sighting Dxic and Xajck sitting down on separate couches, Dxic still had that unlit cigarette in his mouth, and Xajack was drinking something out of a brown see-through bottle.

"Hello," she said.

Dxic turned his head to her and chewed on his cigarette a bit. "Hey kid, what brings you around here?"

"Probably the rum," said Xajck.

Dxic snorted. "Offer her a drink and I'll sick Xifta on you."

Xajck merely chuckled and took a sip of his rum.

"Umm... can I ask you two a question?" asked Xion.

"Sure kid, what is it?" said Dxic.

"Who is Kairi?" she asked.

Dxic frowned. "Hrm..."

"Our favorite, lovable killjoy," said Xacjk.

Dxic snorted, reached behind his couch, brought out his spear, and smacked Xacjk with the flat end of it, causing him to spill his rum. "Not the rum!"

Dxic put the spear away and turned to Xion. "Sorry kid, can't say, gotta take that question up with Xithera."

Xion frowned. "But... Xifta told me a little, why isn't anyone else?"

Dxic scowled. "Xifta is asking for trouble. Nexol said that Xithera would be the judge of what and when we can tell you things, crossing them on that is a bad idea."

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"They ain't like they used to be, heck, none of us are," said Dxic, "But some of us took losing our hearts and homes worse than others. Nexol's been a bit better since... uh... you showed up here, but... Xithera ain't budged. She and Xurrath seem even worse to be honest, colder than ice. Makes you wonder, if we crossed her, would she scold us like she used to, or would she punish us? Heard her threaten to turn Doluxc of all people into a dusk once."

_W-what? Aerith... she would never... no... she's not Aerith, she's just... an empty shell... they're all just... empty... shells...  
_

Xion frowned as she felt her chest constrict and then relax. She figured the Voice had probably just stressed herself and passed out again. She glanced to the door. She moved and pressed a hand against it.

"Uh, kid, just mind yourself," said Dxic.

Xion didn't reply, instead, she pushed open the door and walked into their small throne room. Inside, there were three people sitting and talking quietly. Xithera, Nexol, and Xuffiey. The three stopped talking and glanced at her.

"Xion," said Nexol, nodding curtly to her.

"Heya kiddo!" said Xuffiey cheerfully.

Xithera said nothing, here eyes merely resting on Xion, waiting.

Xion licked her lips a little nervously and glanced at Xithera. "Umm... can I ask you all a question?"

"Sure kiddo," said Xuffiey.

"Xuffiey," said Nexol quietly, glancing between Xion and Xithera.

"What? Oh...," said Xuffiey, growing silent.

"You may," said Xithera, waving a hand.

"Who is Kairi?" asked Xion.

"Erm...," said Xuffiey, scratching the back of her head.

Xithera turned her head to the woman. "If you cannot still your tongue, leave the room."

Xuffiey pouted.

Xithera turned to stare at Xion. "Why do you ask about her?"

"People keep calling me that name, saying I look like her. I... I've been... seeing things, memories...," she said, "In them... people call me that name, and I don't know why."

"Yeesh Kiddo, never thought you were that dense," said Xuffiey.

Xithera waved a hand, and a strip of gray energy shot out and wrapped around Xuffiey's mouth. The woman glared at Xithera before crossing her arms and trying to mumble something crude sounding out. Nexol sighed, but made no effort to help Xuffiey or scold Xithera.

"Xion, why do you seek answers that slowly come to you?" asked Xithera, "If you are gaining these memories, does it not make you think that the answer will come in time without pushing for them?"

Xion frowned. "Well..."

"If you try to force things Xion, you may risk hurting yourself," said Xithera.

Xion bristled. "That's one of the reasons I'm trying to figure this out, the memories _HURT_!"

Xithera cocked her head and spoke with seeming indifference. "Do they?"

"Every time I see something new, it's usually a spike of pain right through my chest," she said, bringing her hand up to her chest, "Each time, it leaves me more and more confused and..."

She bowed her head. "It... frightens me."

"Huh...," murmured Nexol, "Never thought I'd see the day when you admit to something scaring you."

"Nexol," said Xithera a bit coldly, clearing her throat.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Xion glanced back and forth between them, growing frustrated. "What are you keeping from me? Just _WHO_ is Kairi? Why do I look like her?"

She summoned Oathkeeper. "Why do I have the Keyblade?"

She bowed her head. "What... are these memories? Why do I have them?"

"Xion... be patient, you're questions will be answered, in time," said Xithera.

"I don't want to wait," said Xion, "I want to get the answers, I..."

She hesitated, feeling a longing in her chest. "I want to know who Kairi is, I want to find her, I want to meet her."

There was an odd look in all three of their eyes as they regarded her silently.

Xithera slowly shook her head. "You will not find the answers you seek with us."

Xion glared at her. "Tell me!"

The air suddenly turned cold as Xithera narrowed her eyes. "Xion, I have spoken. You have overstayed your welcome, begone."

Xion felt an odd horror and repulsion in her chest to hear Xithera talking to her like that. She took a hesitant step back, a bit frightened, and turned. She left the room, left the building, and then left the world. She formed a Dark Corridor, stressed, and went to Twilight Town. Right now... she really could use some ice cream...

"Oy, hey Xion," came a familiar voice.

Xion glanced over. "Axel..."

The redheaded Nobody was walking out of the ice cream store Xion was heading for. "Just got done my mission and... uh... you okay?"

She looked down. "Can... you get me some ice cream again?"

"Another rough mission eh?" he said, turning for the store.

"Sure...," she muttered.

Trying to figure out who Kairi is was technically a mission she had set for herself...

"Hah, morning missions sure are something aren't they?" he said before walking into the store.

They were up on the clock tower five minutes later, slowly eating ice cream.

"So, what happened?" he asked.

Xion stared at her half-eaten ice cream for a moment before saying. "I don't like people hiding things from me, lying to me."

Axel gave her a curious look. "About what?"

"Kairi," said Xion, "Why do people keep calling me that? Who is she..."

Axel scratched his head. "The redhead? Are those guys at Nothing's Watch still hassling you about that?"

"Everyone is, kind of," said Xion, "Marluxia called me that yesterday too."

Axel paused at that, a hint of a deep frown on his face. "That so?"

He took another bite out of his ice cream. "Hmm."

"Axel, do you know anything about Kairi?" asked Xion.

Axel shrugged. "Watched her once or twice in Traverse Town as a mission, but that's about it. I think the Superior had a meeting about her or something awhile ago, but I didn't really pay much attention."

Xion scowled. "Why not?"

He rolled his eyes. "When the Superior speaks, I kind of tune him out."

"Why?" she asked, "I've noticed you didn't really treat him with respect on my first day."

He scoffed. "How can I respect that old coot? If he was a bit younger, more imposing, and actually carried his weight maybe I could. But that old coot just sits up in that castle or down in the labs doing nothing from what I can see. Heck, even Vexen does more field work than he does, _VEXEN_ of all people."

He crossed his arms. "Not to mention he comes off as an old creeper most of the time, and those scheming eyes of his... I'd rather he be cold and indifferent that creepy and calculating. You ever seen him smile? He sets off all my alarm bells whenever he does, always makes me think he has something bad up his sleeve."

Xion contemplated it. Just like the Voice, Axel didn't think well of the Superior. That was two people in favor of that opinion now...

"Still, if you want I guess I could keep an ear open about Kairi," offered Axel.

Xion brightened and smiled at him. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why not? It's what friends are for and-hey!"

She had him in a hug before he could react. "Thanks Axel!"

"U-uh... sure," he said, seeming a bit bashful.

He scratched the back of his head after she separated from him. "Ah... can't promise I can actually figure anything out for you."

"At least you'll try, and won't lie to me about it," said Xion.

He tilted his head. "Trust me that much?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "You've given me no reason not to."

An odd look crossed his face and he looked away. "Ah... jeez... uh... you ought to eat your ice cream before it melts ya know."

She gave him a confused look. "Melts?"

Axel snapped his fingers, a soft ball of fire appearing near her ice cream. She watched, horrified, as it started to fall apart.

"Waaah! No! My ice cream!" she whined, quickly shoving the stick and what was left of the treat in her mouth.

Axel laughed a bit at that. "Xion, you sure are something else."

She sucked on her ice cream and turned to glare at him.

She didn't hold it against him, too much. When they finished their ice cream, they sat there, staring out over the town for a time.

"Anyway...," said Axel, standing up, "Better get back to the castle and see if there's any missions to take on. Catch ya later Xion."

She waved as he formed a Dark Corridor and left. "See you later Axel."

She hummed softly to herself before glancing down at her newest ice cream stick. She pouted a little when it wasn't a winner. Ah well. She pocketed it anyway and stood up, raising her hand to form a Dark Corridor...

She paused. "He said... there was a meeting about Kairi, that the Superior was speaking about her..."

She nodded to herself and opened a corridor. "Maybe I should go ask the Superior himself..."

With that, she made up her mind and walked through...


	7. Lies, Deceptions, and Apologies

Xion walked into the Round Room and stared up at the top throne, at the Superior, who had one leg crossed over the other, one hand on the arm of his throne to prop his head up, an almost bored look on his face. His hood was down, revealing his aged bald head, and pointy ears. The room was otherwise empty, all the other members off doing a mission or goofing off in the lounge, to her knowledge. Her stomach rolled slightly, when her eyes connected with the Superiors. He had done nothing to show ill will to her, but... she still felt unsettled by him now, with nothing but the words of her friend and the Voice as a reason why.

"Number Thirteen, what brings you to me today?" inquired the Superior, "Do you not have missions you could be doing?"

"Xaldin took the last one last I checked," said Xion evenly.

The Superior waved a hand. "Then you could be off training, or studying. If all else fails, I am aware that your colleagues are apt to waste time in the Gray Area, you could join them."

"I have a question for you, sir," said Xion.

The Superior raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Who is Kairi?" she asked, "Why do people say I look like her?"

Slowly, the Superior shifted his position to sit upright, staring down at her silently.

She summoned her Keyblade and looked at it. "Why do I have the Keyblade?"

There was a hint of a frown on the Superior's face as he studied her. "Pointed questions, to be sure young Xion. Yet, these are matters you should not trouble yourself with. The answers will come in time."

Xion frowned at him. "Superior... that's not good enough, I need to know now!"

The Superior frowned at her. "And why is that young Xion? Is something the matter?"

"I...," she began, hesitating, "I'm have these... visions, memories."

A slow, cruel smile crept across his face. "Is that so?"

"Yes... and... they hurt," she said, clutching a hand to her chest, "Every time they happen, it's a spike of pain right through me, and... they're so confusing."

The Superior blinked a few times before his smile slowly left his face. "I see."

He cleared his throat. "The pain will pass in time Xion as you begin to claim your purpose, and become who you were meant to be."

Xion stared at him, confused. "I don't understand..."

"You don't need to, now go," ordered the Superior, pointing towards the exit.

Xion narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. "Superior."

"I will not say it again number thirteen," said the Superior, his own eyes narrowing in turn.

Xion ground her teeth, made an abrupt turn, banished her keyblade, and left...

* * *

The Superior watched his puppet go before scowling, focusing his energy and snapping his fingers.

_WARP_

Vexen appeared on his throne, a bit disgruntled. "You called for me, Superior?"

"How long is the consumption process supposed to take?" demanded the Superior.

Vexen blinked a few times. "Well, it began the moment Kairi's heart was placed within the puppet. We should start seeing results sometime soon."

"Define results," said the Superior.

Vexen hesitated. "Well... she should already be seeing some of Kairi's memories, gaining some of her power, and start physically changing to match the princess."

The first two were happening. "And if she hasn't started to change yet?"

Vexen frowned. "Perhaps the Princess is resisting the process more than I anticipated. To be honest, something like this hasn't exactly been done before to my knowledge."

The Superior tapped his fingers on the throne. "Should the process be harmful?"

Vexen tilted his head, seeming confused. "For Kairi? Yes. The process should exhaust her heart, put her to sleep, and extract every scrap of who she is. I imagine the final stages will be quite painful for her as she is torn apart."

"And for my puppet?" he inquired, not showing a care for the Princess.

Vexen looked baffled. "The puppet? No. The process shouldn't hurt her at all, to be frank, it should be euphoric, as she gains more power, memories, and abilities."

"Then the Princess is interfering more in the process than we thought possible," murmured the Superior.

"Perhaps," said Vexen.

The Superior massaged his forehead. "Kairi, your not going to make this easy for my puppet, are you? You'll fight her for every scrap of memory and power you have."

"To drive my puppet to question me...," he murmured, "To stare at me so defiantly...

He shook his head. "You defeated Aqua's Heartless, you fulfilled your purpose, Princess..."

He grew cruel. "Now be consumed, give your power and purpose to my puppet, die, and fade away."

* * *

Xion stormed down the hall, furious. "That damn man. As far as I'm concerned, both of them are right! He's a..."

"A liar and a manipulative bastard?" inquired a voice.

Xion froze and turned her head, sighting Marluxia leaning against the wall down a hall to her right, she scowled at him. "What do you want?"

"Temper temper Xion," said Marluxia, wagging a finger, "Did I not say I could offer you truth?"

Xion went silent.

Marluxia grinned. "Tell me, how did your meeting with the Superior go?"

She glared at him. "I'm tired of being lied to, of people hiding things from me."

Marluxia chuckled. "I see."

He turned. "I think it's time to bring you in on a little secret, come."

Xion frowned and did not move.

"Did you not want the truth?" inquired Marluxia, "I can give it to you."

"You... you'll tell me who Kairi is?" she asked.

"I will tell you some of what I know," said Marluxia.

Xion fell in behind him, following him back to his room. She was surprised to find someone else also there, Larxene.

The woman stared at her for a moment before scowling at Marluxia. "You're serious? Bringing this dope of a kid into it?"

"There is more to Number Thirteen than you realize Larxene," he answered.

He turned to Xion. "Tell me Xion, do you like the way things are run around here? How the Superior mismanages the Organization? How he focuses so foolishly on the matters of the heart and..."

"I don't know or care about that," said Xion, "I just... want to know who Kairi is."

Marluxia frowned for a moment before he shrugged. "I see. I will make you an offer Xion. Larxene and I believe that Xehanort will lead the Organization to ruin. We wish to... remove him from power. Agree to help us do so, and I will tell you a bit about Kairi. Fulfill my desire and actually help us overthrow him, and I will tell you everything you wish to know."

"What would it mean to... 'overthrow' him?" she asked.

"Kill him, duh," said Larxene, "God your dumb."

Xion frowned at her, but didn't reply, thinking over Marluxia's offer. She... didn't like the thought of helping to murder someone...

_Xehanort and Marluxia are both awful people... but... Marluxia is probably the much lesser evil._

" _Oh, you're awake again. Feeling any better?_ " asked Xion.

_No._

" _Oh... sorry_ ," said Xion.

_Hmph._

" _So... you think I should help Marluxia?_ " asked Xion.

_I think anything that results in Xehanort being dead is the right thing to do._

Xion hesitated. "Hmm."

"Your aid would make this go much smoother," said Marluxia, "I'm not blind to how one of the lower branches are inclined towards you. If it came down to it, I believe they would step in to aid us on your behalf and..."

"No!" said Xion abruptly, "If I help, I don't want them involved! I don't want them to be hurt!"

_You... don't?_

" _Why would I want them hurt?_ " Xion asked the voice, baffled.

_..._

Marluxia cleared his throat. "That would make things more difficult Xion."

"I don't care," said Xion, "I don't want them, or Axel, hurt."

Marluxia looked rather vexed. "Xion, the other branch is one thing, Axel is another..."

"And if you don't agree, I won't help," she butted in, "Deal with it."

Marluxia narrowed his eyes at her. "..."

Larxene suddenly laughed. "Some spice to this one, I like it. Just go with it, we ain't getting any younger and your little rebellion idea hasn't gone anywhere yet."

"We don't age," said Marxluxia dryly.

Xion blinked. "We don't?"

"Those without hears remain as they are," was all he said in response.

Marluxia studied Xion for a few moments before nodding. "Very well, we will not draw in the lesser branch, and will not attempt to harm Axel. However, if he gets in our way, if you wish him to survive, you had best have a way to... deal with him."

"I'll figure something out, now, who is Kairi?" she demanded.

Marluxia smiled a cruel smile. "Kairi is a young, redheaded blue-eyed girl, roughly fourteen or fifteen years old. Like you, she is a Keybearer, someone chosen to wield the Keyblade."

Her eyes widened. "We're both Keybearers?"

"You are," confirmed Marluxia.

"What else?" she asked eagerly.

Marluxia tilted his head back in thought. "She was 'intimately' involved with the end of the Heartless Apocalypse. If what the Superior said is to be believed, she might be directly responsible for it's finish. Afterwords though, she simply disappeared without a trace."

Xion frowned at that. Something about that stirred a memory, not one of the flashes, but her own...

Wait, Snow White...

"I had heard on recon from one of the people I was observing, that Kairi had been taken by people with black coats like our own," said Xion.

Marluxia went perfectly still for a moment, almost tense, before he a devious smirk played across his face, "Perhaps the Superior took her captive and has her held somewhere then?"

_Clever cheeky bastard..._

Xion's eyes went wide. "If that's true, we have to find and help her!"

_Why... do you say things like that? It doesn't make sense...  
_

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. " _What's wrong with wanting to help someone?_ "

_N-nothing, but you... I..._

"That may prove difficult to do until the Superior is removed from power," said Marluxia smoothly.

"Pff, who cares about some kid?" said Larxene, "Let her rot."

_Grrr..._

"Oh? I thought you'd be 'grateful' to Kairi," said Marluxia in an almost mocking tone, "She did kill your somebodie's murderer after all."

"You need a heart to be grateful," said Larxene dryly before sounding almost bitter, "Besides, I doubt that brat did in that blue haired heartless pycho for any of us, we're Nobodies, no one gives a damn about any of us."

_That's... not true... Olette cares about Aqua's Nobody..._

"True enough," said Marluxia.

"That's not true," said Xion, agreeing with the voice, "I'd care."

Larxene's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't even know me."

"So? You don't need to know someone to care if they die," said Xion quietly.

_I... don't understand you..._

Xion ignored the Voice and simply held Larxene's gaze, a soft smile on her face as she did.

Larxene stared at Xion with baffled look before she crossed her arms. "Hmph, stupid kid."

_Grouchy bitch..._

" _You're one to talk_ ," said Xion.

_Hey! I have every right to be!  
_

Xion thought for a moment before she slightly grinned. " _So you admit it then?_ "

_I hate you..._

Xion took the words in stride, resisting the urge to giggle over her tiny victory.

"I still dunno about this," said Larxene, her eyes roaming Xion critically.

"If you are in doubt, then perhaps I could arrange with Saix for you and Xion to go on a mission together tomorrow, that way you could see for yourself," offered Marluxia.

"Pff, whatever," said Larxene, appearing indifference.

Xion smiled, eager to go on a mission with a comrade she didn't know to well. "Okay!"

Maybe if she could figure out why Larxene seemed grumpy and fix that, she could use it to try to make the Voice happier too.

_There's only two things that could make me happy, maybe three._

"What's that?" asked Xion.

_Xehanort dead, Master Aqua and my family and friends being whole, and me being back where I belong._

Xion blinked a few times. " _You really don't like the Superior, do you?_ "

_None of this would have happened if not for him_

" _You said you weren't where you belong, so where are...,_ " began Xion.

"Yo, stop daydreaming kid!" said Larxene.

Xion jumped a little. "Huh? What?"

Larxene made a shooing motion. "Were done here, get lost."

"Why would I want to get lost?" Xion asked, confused.

"She means leave the room," said Marluxia dryly.

"Oh, it's one of those phrase things, okay!" said Xion cheerfully, turning and exiting the room.

"That kid is a serious dope," she heard Larxene mutter.

_I kind of agree._

" _Oh you,_ " said Xion, shaking her head.

Xion walked down the hall and towards the Gray Area before a voice stopped her. "Fancy meeting you here Xion."

She turned her head to see Axel leaning on the inside of an open door. "Oh, hi Axel, what's... up?"

She frowned, noting how critically he was eyeing her.

"Hear or see anything interesting in Marluxia's room?" questioned Axel, giving her a _very_ pointed look.

"Umm... no?" she said hesitatingly.

"That so?" he said before slowly shaking his head, "Xion, let me give you a piece of advice. Keeping your head down is the best way for a newbie to survive in this day and age. Causing trouble never ends well."

_He knows..._

Xion didn't answer.

Axel sighed. "Forget it, lets just go and get some ice cream."

Xion brightened. "Okay!"

Ten minutes later, the two of them were sitting on the clock tower in Twilight Town eating Sea Salt Ice cream.

"Hey Axel," she said.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"You hear anything about Kairi yet?" she asked.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Someones eager. It's been like a few hours since I said I'd look into it, give me time."

He gave her a sly look. "Unless you want me to drop ice cream time."

Xion gave him a horrified look. "No way!"

Axel laughed, and Xion joined in with a bit of giggling.

Axel finished off his ice cream. "You're lucky I spoil you, two ice cream visits in one day."

Xion playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

Axel returned the favor, but made a curious sound with his tongue.

Xion blinked a few times. "What was that?"

"Blowing a raspberry, got it memorized?" said Axel.

"A raspberry huh?" said Xion before an almost devious grin crossed her face, "Yeah, I think I got it memorized."

Xion took a deep breath...

"Uh Xion, wait a sec," began Axel.

_BLAAAAAAAH_

Axel raised a hand defensively as Xion tried blowing a raspberry. "Hey! Don't spray it!"

Xion couldn't help but start giggling uncontrollably. "That's fun!"

"You really are a kid, ya know?" said Axel before chuckling.

"Say Axel," she began, "Umm..."

Her face turned a little red. "Thanks again for taking me out for ice cream."

He waved a hand. "Eh, don't mention it. It's a great way to relax, have a good time, make someone feel better, or heck, even offer an apology."

Xion absorbed his advice, mulling it over as she finished her ice cream before focusing on that last part. "An apology?"

Axel nodded. "Yep, first time I really pissed Isa off, I got him an ice cream and he forgave me."

He tilted his head. "Though, we were much younger than we are now."

"Isa?" she asked.

Axel briefly frowned. "Saix's somebody, his and my somebody were good friends."

"Oh, should we get Saix to come up here?" she asked.

"Not unless you want him to ban us from having ice cream again," he answered.

Xion winced at that. "Uh... never mind on that then."

She mulled over a thought. "How much does ice cream cost?"

"Eh, not much, one bar is like fifty munny," he answered.

"How do I get money?" she asked, "I... have someone I think I want to apologize to."

Axel gave her a curious look. "Well, your first paycheck wont be for another week at least."

"We get paid?" she asked.

He nodded. "Based off mission successes and the number of them you take."

"Or ya know, you can just beat a bunch of heartless and collect some pocket change, dunno why the things carry munny but they do," he said.

"What does munny look like?" she asked.

Axel fished out a diamond like orb that was yellow on the top and blue on the bottom from his pocket. "Like this."

"Awww, that's money? I missed a bunch on that Heartless clearing mission with Marluxia!" whined Xion.

Axel grinned at her, tossed it to her, and then pulled out a few more. "Here, one-hundred munny, enough to buy yourself and one person some ice cream."

She beamed at him. "Thanks Axel!"

"No problem," he answered, "So, who do you want to apologize too? Can't think of anyone you pissed off."

Xion rose to her feet and made a Dark Corridor. "Well, I didn't like spying on her, felt kind of bad for it, so I wanna go apologize to miss Aqua. See ya later Axel!"

Axel coughed. "W-what?! Wait a sec!"

Xion was already through the Dark Corridor, coming out at the Twilight Town Mansion's gate. She hesitated a little, feeling the woman's strong presence in the mansion. She slowly opened the gate and walked up to the door. She licked her lips, a little nervous, before she raised her hand and knocked. She waited a minutes, before the pattering of feet was heard.

The door opened, and Aqua glanced out at her. "You again."

"Umm... hi," said Xion, fidgeting a bit.

"What do you want?" asked Aqua.

"Umm... I... wanted to apologize," Xion answered, "You know, for spying on you."

Aqua stared at her, impassively. "Is that it?"

"I mean, can I... um... take you out for ice cream as an apology?" Xion asked, a bit timidly.

Aqua blinked a few times, appearing to mull over her offer, before she stepped out and closed the door. "As you wish. Be warned, if this is some kind of ruse, it won't end well."

Xion felt... hurt... that she thought this was some kind of trap. "It's not a ruse... I just want to apologize."

"Then lead on," Aqua answered.

Xion walked away from the mansion and through the woods, her nervousness and apprehension growing. She felt the older Nobody's eyes on her back, watching and waiting. Xion walked up to the hole in the wall, and stepped through, Aqua coming out behind her. Xion took immediate notice, of how the inhabitants of Twilight Town took one look at Aqua and gave her a very wide berth, seeming a little scared of her. Xion frowned at that, and did her best to banish her own nervousness, not wanting to make Aqua feel bad.

_She can't feel you dope._

" _Maybe not, but Nobodies can remember what it's like to feel, right? She probably understands what she's supposed to feel by seeing those people treat her like that,_ " Xion answered the Voice.

_I doubt she cares. She's just an empty shell._

Xion felt her face heat up a bit and grew defensive for the woman. " _Don't you call her that!_ "

_Why do you care? She's not the real Aqua._

" _She seems real enough to me,_ " retorted Xion angrily.

_Hmph._

Xion ignored the Voice, feeling peeved with her, and walked to the ice cream shop, stepping up to the counter. "Umm, two Sea Salt Ice Cream bars please!"

The cashier took a look at Aqua behind Xion and quickly grabbed the bars. "S-sure, that'll be one-hundred munny."

Xion fished the munny out of her pocket and handed it over. "Here."

She took the bars from him and left the shop.

"You have the ice cream to give, are we not done with this?" asked Aqua.

"Nope!" said Xion cheerfully, "Gotta have the view too."

"The view?" questioned Aqua.

"You'll see," said Xion.

Xion led her to the train station and up onto the clock tower. She was a bit disappointed to see Axel had left. Xion moved to her usual spot and sat down, glancing over at Aqua as she slowly stepped out onto the ledge. The woman stared at her for a moment before moving to sit down a bit to her left.

Xion offered her the wrapped bar. "Here."

Aqua took it, opened it, and stared at the bar. "Hmm."

"Ever had ice cream before?" Xion asked.

"Olette has brought me a few flavors before, some time ago," said Aqua, "She stopped in favor of tea."

"Why tea?" asked Xion.

"I can faintly recall that I drank tea in... a castle of sorts... in my previous life," said Aqua, appearing to ponder her answer, "I cannot say the same for ice cream."

She stared at the bar. "I cannot recall if I ever tried this flavor before."

The woman brought it up and took a bit. "Salty, and sweet, accurate to the name."

"Do you like it?" asked Xion hopefully.

"A Nobody cannot like," said Aqua.

Xion pouted a little at that.

"But, if I had a heart, I believe it would at least be... acceptable," said Aqua, taking another bite.

Xion smiled at that and opened her own bar. "I love these things. They're so good."

Aqua gave a none-committal hum, but didn't respond otherwise.

For a reason Xion couldn't figure out, being together with this woman eating ice cream made her feel all tingly inside, a happy smile on her face. It was as if there wasn't a single care in the world to be had.

_It's not... she's not the real thing... it's not the same as what it would be... what I... wanted..._

Xion paused and tilted her head, registering the raw bitterness and longing in the Voice's tone. " _Do you want to come and join us?_ "

_..._

Xion frowned at the silence, wishing the Voice would take her up on the offer. She could just make a corridor to wherever the Voice was and take her to here. Though... she didn't exactly have any money to buy the Voice some ice cream. Maybe next time then.

_I... I'm not falling for whatever sick game your playing! Acting all nice like this, you, your just a parasite!_

Xion, for once, ignored the parasite jab, focusing on how scared the Voice sounded. " _What's wrong?_ "

_Just... shut up... and leave me alone..._

Xion sighed quietly, wishing the Voice would let her help her for once.

"Something the matter?" inquired Aqua.

Xion shook her head. "No, just friend trouble I guess."

_We're not friends!_

" _If you let me take you out for ice cream we could be_ ," retorted Xion.

_You think sharing ice cream with someone automatically makes you their friend?! Especially after what you've done? You stupid naive little... your just... just... a..._

Xion felt her chest constrict and relax. There went the Voice, stressing herself and passing out again. She really needed to relax...

"Hmm," said Aqua, leaning back and staring out at the sunset, "Something about this... is familiar to me."

Xion turned her head. "It is?"

Aqua seemed to think on it for a minute. "I... can faintly recall sitting on the edge of a mountain, with two boys... or well, a young man and a boy. We stared off into the distance, just like this. I think we had done that several times, but something about this specific memory is... special to me."

Xion was a bit surprised when a faint hint of a smile appeared on Aqua's face. The woman reached into her pocket, as if to grab something, before coming up empty. Her smile faded, and she frowned intently, a baffled look on her face.

"There was something I had wanted to give to them," Aqua murmured, "I think I did, but I can't remember what it was."

"Do you know who the boy and the man are?" Xion asked.

Aqua nodded.

"Why not go ask them?" Xion asked.

Aqua slowly shook her head. "I have considered going to see them, and Olette has insisted on it. However, I do not believe it would be a wise decision."

"Why not?" asked Xion.

"Because of my Heartless," answered Aqua, "And because I am not the Aqua they knew. I know what the two young keybearers told me, however, knowing and remembering on my own are two separate things. I... could not be who they would want me to be."

"I would not hurt them like that," she whispered, her voice sounding oddly emotional unlike how she had been up to this point.

The woman abruptly shook her head and stood up. "I thank you for the ice cream I suppose."

"Your welcome," said Xion, beaming a bit.

"So... apology accepted?" asked Xion when the woman started to walk away.

Aqua paused briefly. "I suppose."

Xion smiled at that and watched the woman leave.

Xion scooted off the edge towards the clock tower itself and leaned against the wall, staring out, a soft smile on her face. "I love it like this. I hope I can keep coming up for ice cream every day until I get my heart and memories back, and maybe, even after..."

She stayed there, for a time, until she decided it was time to go back and go to sleep...


	8. The Savage Nymph

_POUND POUND POUND_

"Get up you dope!" yelled a loud voice from outside the door.

Xion gave a yelp and rolled off her bed, landing on the floor with a thud. "Oww."

"Our mission starts in five minutes, be ready or you're getting left behind," came in Larxene's voice.

"I'm up I'm up!" shouted Xion, rising to her feet and rushing to the door.

She opened it, saw Larxene was already walking away, and ran to catch up to her. "Umm, good morning!"

Larxene glanced back at her and scowled. "What's so good about it?"

Well, if _THAT_ wasn't a phrase she was familiar with. Larxene and the Voice had a lot in common.

_We do not!_

" _Good morning miss Voice,_ " said Xion.

_What's so good about... er..._

Xion had a wide grin on her face. " _You see? You both wake up grumpy, and love to yell at me for some reason._ "

_..._

Xion refocused on Larxene. "Well, it's a new day to enjoy."

"Pff, if you say so, same boring garbage as every other day," said Larxene dryly.

"Boring?" Xion inquired, "What's our mission?"

"Mission(s), plural," said Larxene, "Saix doesn't have two people on only one mission unless it's with someones whose brand new."

"I'm kind of new," said Xion.

"Which is the only reason he allowed it, or so I hear," said Larxene, "Anyway, listin up, we've got two tasks. Our first one is recon on one of the newly restored worlds, second is Heartless mop up."

"Newly restored worlds?" questioned Xion.

Larxene shrugged. "After the heartless psycho was killed, all the worlds she ate were restored along with a lot of their people. Thankfully, I wasn't restored to my original self."

Xion gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't you want to have your heart back and be whole?"

Larxene gave her a look of disdain. "You're just a stupid kid, you wouldn't know anything about the hell, the pain, a heart can put you through. I'd rather not have it back, it's much better this way."

Xion frowned, but said nothing, not sure she really understood.

_She's right that the heart can be filled with pain, but, it can be filled with so much more than just that. Hope, happiness, wonder, and more..._

Xion nodded a bit to that, absorbing the information. "So... what's this world were doing recon on?"

"Eh, some dump called Halloween Town I think," said Larxene, "If it's anything like that holiday back home, I'm going to have a stroke. I don't think I can handle little kids screaming at me for candy without putting a knife in them."

_Okay... someones a 'little' psycho..._

Larxene aimed a hand forward and made a Dark Corridor. "Move it stupid."

Where they came out to gave Xion pause. It was dark, spooky, and had creepy pumpkins everywhere. They were in a fenced off area near an odd kind of curly looking hill. Alongside the outskirts of the stone fence were gravestones. Off in the distance were dead looking trees. The very ground beneath their feet had not an ounce of grass or green anywhere. She shivered and drew close to Larxene, clinging to her arm.

"What. Are you doing?" said Larxene, glaring down at her.

"T-this place is s-scary," stammered Xion.

Larxene shook her off. "Pff, of all the emotions to fake, you choose fear? You're all kinds of stupid, aren't you?"

Larxene started off and exited their current area. Xion scrambled to stay close to her. They came to a crossroads, one leading towards the woods, one leading towards the a spooky town.

"Try not to get us spotted," said Larxene dryly as she made for the town.

Xion nodded, skittishly looking around as she followed Larxene in. They stuck close to the walls of buildings, and hid behind fences as they came to the square. There was a glowing green fountain. A rusty looking guillotine. The town was paved with dark grayish brick. The buildings were unnatural looking, leaning this way and that, some even had oddly shaped holes that made them look like gaping maws filled with teeth. This place gave her the creeps...

"Oh, where could he be?" came a distressed voice.

Larxene and Xion froze before ducking down behind a fence. They snuck a peak above and around the fence, sighting a _very_ weird patchwork women. She had stitches all over her body, like she was sown together. Deathly pale, brown hair, huge eyes, and clothing as patchwork as her body was, tons of different clothes sown together.

"Oh Jack, why weren't you here when I woke?" the woman said sadly, "Me and Zero have looked all over ever since we woke up from that long sleep... are you trying not to be found? Did we do something wrong? Or are you... gone?"

The woman shook her head and sighed. "At least Oogie Boogie is gone as well. If you aren't here Jack, and he was, I don't know how we could have handled him..."

She walked towards a large tower like building, heading inside. "I suppose I'll check with the professor.

Xion, for a moment, forgot about her fear of this place. "She seemed... really sad."

"That, right there, is perfectly good reason why you shouldn't want a heart," muttered Larxene.

"I dunno," said Xion, "She seemed to really care about this 'Jack' guy."

"Yeah, and now he's gone and she's hurt, some good the heart is," spat Larxene.

Larxene fished out a pad of paper and a pen from her pocket and began writing. "Kay so, new world has two missing people. 'Jack' and a 'Oogie Boogie', I'll hand the names over to the repository and have them file through the list of Nobodies when we get back."

"Repository?" asked Xion.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Do you _KNOW_ how many Nobodies there are in the World That Never Was? We have an entire office and a team of Nobodies dedicated to keeping track and records of all of us. Chances are these two are probably Nobodies. If you paid attention, you dope, you'd have noticed how Miss Stitches suggested that 'Jack' and 'Oogie Boogie' fight one another. Fighting means power, power means a potentially strong will, and if someone with a strong will lost their heart, they leave a Nobody."

"It also means that we can dump this world on those two to watch from now on if they are Nobodies," said Larxene dryly, "Less I have to come to this run down dusty creepy ass dump the better."

"I'll agree to that," muttered Xion, glancing fearfully at the Guillotine in the square.

_It's not that bad._

" _Yeah right_ ," said Xion back to the Voice, " _This place is sending chills down my spine._ "

_Pansy._

Xion pouted a little before glancing at Larxene. "So... what exactly, or who, are we reconing on?"

Larxene rolled her eyes. "We're just doing an initial pass and taking down note on anything potentially important."

She pointed at the tower and then held up a finger. "A place like that seems important, only building like it here. Not to mention Miss Stitches said something about a Professor. It bears future investigation by whoever comes after us."

"We overheard her talking about those two people," said Larxene, holding up a second finger.

She glanced around. "Hrm... we ought to at least find some third important thing, otherwise Saix will probably bitch at us and..."

_POOF!_

Xion and Larxene coughed and gagged as a bag of dirt and dust was dumped on them. "Trick or Treat!"

They whirled to see three kids, one dressed as a devil, one dressed as a witch, and one dressed as a skeleton boy, sitting in a tub, all three laughing at them.

"You little shits!" yelled Larxene, drawing knives out of her coat.

"Run away!" cried out the kids with glee, their tubs bucking up like a horse and charging off.

"Get back here!" yelled Larxene, chucking a knife coated with lightning at them.

Xion dusted herself off and watched, feeling a little amused, as Larxene chased after them, pissed. "Guess we didn't do a good job of not being seen."

She started walking after them, a soft smile on her face. She caught up with Larxene at the bottom of a spooky tree house. The woman was glaring up at the three kids who were sticking their tongues out at her and making faces.

"I swear I'm going to skin you three alive!" yelled Larxene.

"That sounds like fun!" teased one of the kids.

Larxene blanked for a moment. "Okay... those kids are officially as psycho as that Heartless."

_Or as 'psycho' as she is._

"Whatever, third thing is these little troublemakers live here, good enough for me, let's split," said Larxene, opening a dark corridor and slipping through.

Xion had to scramble to get through before it closed. The world she came out to next was... familiar to her for some reason. They looked to be out in the wilderness somewhere. To their south was a ruined town that looked to be in the process of being rebuilt. To the north was a pathway towards a dark and scary looking wood. To the east was a path leading to a church, she could feel light emanating from the very air in that direction.

"Where... are we?" whispered Xion.

"Lorda-something, I don't really know or care," said Larxene, "Last I knew this world was loaded with Heartless, let's get to killin."

_Lordaeran, and it might not have as much Heartless as she think it did anymore._

" _What's that mean?_ " asked Xion.

_There... was one heck of a fight here._

For a moment, Xion grew dizzy, a bit of pain starting to form in her chest. She braced herself for another memory...

_Oh no you don't!_

She winced as there was a sharp pain, and then the pain and the dizziness was gone.

"What the heck are you waiting for, idiot? Let's get a move on!" ordered Larxene from a ways ahead of her.

Xion shook her head and took off after her, confused by the lack of memory following the pain. She wasn't going to complain, but... it was odd. Did... the Voice have something to do with it not happening this time? She vaguely recalled something similar happening in Twilight Town when she first saw Aqua.

" _Miss Voice?_ " questioned Xion.

_WARP_

Xion looked up, startled, as Heartless began appearing ahead in puffs of dark energy.

_Pay attention, and TRY not to get us killed._

Xion's eyes furrowed. " _What do you mean by us?_ "

She had little time to think as Larxene drew her knives and charged, an almost maniacal laughter escaping her lips and a equally disturbing grin on her face. "Die you little bastards!"

Xion was momentarily taken aback by Larxene's viciousness before she summoned her Keyblade and joined the fight. She was... a bit offput, by how much hate appeared on the woman's face. For someone who preached about it being better to not have a heart, she sure showed a lot of rage towards the Heartless. Xion shook her head and refocused, swinging her Keyblade in wide arcs as more and more of lesser Heartless started to appear and swarm towards them.

_I remember when it used to be swarms of empowered Neoshadows and other strong Heartless in the Eastern Shadowlands, rather than just masses of regular shadows and some emblems. It's... good to see Lordaeran's recovering._

She took the liberty this time, since she hadn't last time she had been fighting Heartless, to pick up the munny they dropped. She had to fund her ice-cream visits somehow after all. She couldn't keep mooching off of Axel forever. She paused briefly when she noticed something odd all of the sudden. Despite her anger, Larxene hadn't killed a single Heartless, she damaged them, beat them into the ground, or fried them with lightning, but didn't kill them.

"Hey! Stupid, what are you waiting for?" demanded Larxene, "Kill the leftover's already!"

"Why aren't you?" asked Xion.

"Idiot, are you just stupid or did no one tell you about the Keyblade freeing hearts for Kingdom Hearts?" rebuked Larxene, "I don't care about getting my heart back, but like hell am I having Saix yell at me for taking your kills."

Oh, right.

Xion found herself having to scramble to keep up with Larxene, tapping Heartless as she went to finish them off. For a time, nothing but Larxene's empty laughter, the slicing of blades, the sound of lightning, and the shambling of Heartless was heard. Occasionally, Larxene would yell at her to hurry it up, but, otherwise didn't speak... it was kind of offputting.

Xion tried to start up a conversation as they worked. "So... you're really good with lightning magic."

"No shit stupid," replied Larxene, "And your not even half as good as some of the Keybearer's I've watched before, put some effort into it or were going to be here all day!"

Xion's face fell. She really just wanted to have a nice conversation with her comrade, why was she so mean? The Voice was one thing, but it was starting to look like Larxene lived only to be rude.

_Some people just have a stick up their butt all the time._

Xion glanced at Larxene's butt. " _Umm... I don't think she does...?_ "

_By the light... that was a phrase. She is right, you ARE a dope._

" _Don't you start on that too!_ " whined Xion.

_Dope dope dope dope dope._

Xion couldn't help but groan aloud.

"What are you bitching about?" said Larxene, "I'm the one doing all the work while you're just hanging back having a good time. Lazy little brat."

Between the Voice and Larxene, Xion was about ready to have a stroke.

"Why the hell do I get stuck with stupid missions like this?" muttered Larxene so quietly Xion almost missed it, she sounded frustrated and bored, "I can't even kill these damn things without Saix screaming at me to leave them for the idiot."

Xion found herself puzzled by her comrade. She just seemed to be bored, angry, frustrated, and tense all the time, ever since they had left for their missions. Heck, even back when she first met her in the throne room, and even a bit in Marluxia's room. She wondered what had Larxene so pent up like this. She wondered if there was a way she could make her happy instead of being angry. She mulled it over for awhile, until Larxene called the mission.

"Alright stupid, you can put away your Keyblade," said Larxene, "That's more than enough, I'm outa this dump."

Larxene aimed a hand forward and started to make a Dark Corridor.

"Hey, Larxene, wait a second," said Xion.

Larxene paused and turned to glare at her. "What is it? The faster I'm out of this dump, and away from _you_ , the better."

Xion flinched a little at the biting words but forced them away. She didn't want things to stay like this...

"Umm... why exactly don't you want your heart back?" Xion asked.

Larxene crossed her arms, a foul look on her face. "I told you, the thing just isn't worth the effort, to much of a hassle and a pain."

Xion thought briefly, back to the Voice's words. "But... isn't there more to a Heart than just pain? Like being happy?"

Larxene scoffed. "Happy? Yeah right. I ain't had a happy day in my life since I was a brat younger than you, and even on a good day, the world just has a habit of bending you over and taking everything from you."

She pulled out a knife to play with, a wicked grin on her face. "It's so much better to make the heart of other's hurt, than have one and be hurt by it. Trust me kid, you'll 'love' it the first time you get to mess with a somebody. The heart..."

She faltered for a moment before growing bitter. "The heart only exists to give you hope and happiness, and then have it all taken away. We're all losers, especially if you have a heart."

Xion bit her lower lip at that. To her... it didn't sound like Larxene had a nice life before becoming a Nobody, and lashed out at everyone she could. Xion put a hand in her coat pocket, fingering her winner ice-cream stick. She had wanted to save it for herself on a bad day, or for Axel if he was having one... but... she hesitated for a moment longer before taking it out and offering it to Larxene.

"Well, maybe I can make you a winner for once then?" she offered meekly.

Larxene stared at her, a confused look on her face. "A stick. You're offering me. A stick?"

"It's a winner stick!" explained Xion, "You can get free ice-cream in Twilight Town with one."

Larxene stared at it for a moment, looking even more confused. "Let me get this straight. You're giving up _FREE_ ice-cream and letting _me_ have it?"

Xion nodded and gave her a warm smile. "I thought you could use it."

Larxene scowled at her and pocketed both her knife and the stick. "Whatever. Doesn't mean shit, but like hell am I passing up free ice-cream."

Larxene turned and opened a Dark Corridor, stepping through, and Xion followed after her, coming out in Twilight Town. "I recommend Sea Salt Ice-Cream!"

Larxene glanced back at her. "That flavor sounds stupid."

"It's really good! Me and Axel love it!" said Xion.

Larxene looked contemplative. "Axel huh?"

She shrugged. "Eh, why not. If it sucks I'm shoving it in your hair, and good luck getting ice-cream out of that mess."

Xion only grinned playfully at the teasing. "So, you know Axel?"

Larxene shrugged. "He was the one who discovered me and took me to the Organization awhile ago."

She scowled intensely. "Fricken guy, asked him how I looked in an Organization Cloak and he didn't have anything good to say."

That wasn't like the Axel she knew. "Well, I think you look pretty in the cloak."

Larxene shook her a confused look, before facing forward and crossing her arms. "Hmph, whatever."

"So, what did Axel say?" asked Xion.

"Nothing. I thought he thought I was unappealing, but he just said my presence was 'nothing'," spat Larxene, "Men."

"Well, I don't think you're nothing, your super feisty," said Xion teasingly.

There was a hint of a smirk at that. "Damn right I am."

They walked into the ice-cream shop and got their ice-cream. Xion was a bit sad to see the winner stick go, but, that hint of a smile on Larxene's face was worth it. She bought her own with the munny she got from the Heartless, and left with Larxene afterwords.

"Alright, back to my room, and ice-cream time," said Larxene.

"Nope! Ice-cream goes best with a view," said Xion, grabbing Larxene's arm and tugging her along.

"H-hey! Watch it stupid, you almost made me drop my ice-cream!" scolded Larxene.

Xion only grinned back at her and dragged her along. She led her up to the clock tower and sat down.

"Let me get this straight. You buy ice-cream, and come eat at the top of a clock tower with it?" asked Larxene, baffled.

"Ahuh, after every mission, I come up here and look out over the town at the sun, it's a pretty view," said Xion.

Larxene sat down. "I guess..."

She opened her ice-cream and glanced at it. "Alright, I got your stupid Sea Salt Ice-Cream. This _BETTER_ be as good as chocolate fudge or I'm shoving you off the clock-tower."

Xion leaned forward and watched the woman take a bite of it. "Well?"

Larxene stared down at it silently for a moment. "It's not bad, I guess."

Xion giggled when Larxene started chowing down. "Not bad she says."

"Oh shove it and eat your own," said Larxene between bites.

"Tee hee," said Xion before unwrapping her own.

She took quick glances at Larxene as she ate. The woman had already finished, and was staring out at the sunset city silently. The boredom and anger usually on her face was gone. There wasn't happiness or a smile unfortunately, she just seemed... passive, contemplative.

Larxene caught her looking. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, um... just seeing if you've relaxed," said Xion.

Larxene's eyebrows furrowed. "Relaxed?"

"Yeah, you seemed stressed out and angry, I thought you could use some relaxation and ice-cream to make you happy," said Xion.

Larxene looked lost for a moment before scowling. "Kid, we can't _GET_ happy. We're Nobodies, we can't feel. Why do you even pretend to care?"

"Do I need a reason to care about a comrade?" Xion defended.

"YES!" Larxene shouted at her, frustration showing again.

"You have to have some angle for doing this. Nobodies _DON'T_ care about one another. We use one another for our own goals, that's it," said Larxene bitingly.

She ground her teeth. "I'm not dumb. I know Marluxia is using me for his own ends with his stupid rebellion thing, he wouldn't bat an eyelash if I dropped dead in front of him."

She looked down. "No one would."

"I would," said Xion, "Even with how mean you've been to me."

Larxene stared at her. "I... don't get you. Why are you doing this? What's your real reason? It's starting to bug the hell out of me, what's your angle?"

"You just seem so angry all the time, I just want you to be happy," said Xion, a bit of sadness showing on her face, "I'd like you to be my friend."

Larxene went silent and looked out over the town, muttering to herself, "Stupid kid..."

_Kind of agree, being a Nobody aside, if that how she was before then she's a lost cause._

Xion looked down and clenched her fists. " _No, she's not. I could walk away, and let her go on being so mean and angry, or, I could try to take the time to get to know her and make her happy. I wanna put a real smile on that seriously grouchy face of hers._ "

_I... don't get you..._

" _Apparently that's another thing you and Larxene have in common then,_ " said Xion.

"Well, whatever, ice-creams done," said Larxene quietly, standing up.

The woman opened a corridor and took two steps towards it before pausing, a conflicted frown on her face. "Kid..."

She hesitated briefly before glancing back. "You ain't to bad, I guess..."

Before Xion could say anything the woman walked through the Dark Corridor and was gone. Xion smiled a little to herself and glanced down at her ice-cream stick. It wasn't a winner, but...

"Giving mine up was still worth it," said Xion happily, staring out over Twilight Town...


	9. Lazy Days

Xion walked into the Gray Area the next day, finding almost the entire Core Organization, save for the Superior and Vexen again, gathered and lounging around.

She walked up to Saix, who was leaning against the wall, an almost bored look on his normally stoic face. "Any missions today?"

He shook his head. "None. Sometimes I question if opening other branches was a wise idea if it leaves us short of work."

"Okay, so... what do we do then?" she asked.

"Whatever you wish," said Saix, "Just don't cause trouble."

"Ah, Xion, come join me for a game, it's been a few days," called over Luxord.

A wide grin spread across Xion's face. "Sure!"

She sat down opposite of Axel and asked, "What are we playing?"

"We haven't decided yet," said Luxord.

Larxene smirked. "How about strip poker?"

"Strip poker?" asked Xion, curious about how it would be different than 'regular poker'.

Axel coughed viscousely and glared at her. "No."

She pouted a bit. "Don't like what you see?"

"There's a kid at the table in-case you didn't notice," said Axel.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Pff...she's like fifteen years old, maybe fourteen. Hardly a kid."

Axel gave her a dry look. "Larxene, has anyone ever told you that you'd make a terrible parent?"

Larxene feigned hurt. "You wound me."

She glared playfully in Xion's direction. "If most kids are like this dope here, not sure I'd want one, always spoiling all the fun."

Xion was confused. "Why does it matter if I'm here or not? What's the big deal?"

Axel coughed into his hand. "We'll tell when you're older."

"But I thought Nobodies didn't age," said Xion.

The other members present were starting to chuckle and laugh.

"Then when you get your heart back and grow up a bit," said Axel.

"So then flamesilocks," said Xigbar, "What's your idea for a game?"

Axel's eyes flickered briefly to Xion. "Uh... Uno or Go Fish?"

Larxene threw back her head and laughed. "Oh man, he's gone full mother hen hasn't he? If I had a heart, I _might_ find it adorable."

She tilted her head. "Or sickening, not sure which."

Xion was starting to get confused. What was the big deal?

_Ugh... being forced to wake up to the morning to your stupidity is getting annoying._

" _Well good morning to you too miss grumpy voice_ ," said Xion.

_There's nothing fucking good about it._

Xion went still, a hint of a frown on her face. The Voice sounded... really bitter and angry this morning, and extremely tired. She had wanted to ask the Voice what they were going on about, but...

_Strip poker, something I had the very unfortunate luck of walking in on once, is where people lose pieces of their clothes when they lose hands until they are completely naked._

Xion's face turned beat red.

Larxene saw it and started laughing again. "HA! I think she figured it out."

Xaldin, and a few others however, saw her red face, and frowned, an empty curious look crossing theirs.

"I uh... think I'ma go for a walk into the city," said Xion, getting up and scurrying away from the table.

"Ah, Larxene, you scarred away my favorite player," scolded Luxord.

Larxene only laughed more.

Under normal circumstances, Xion might have been happy to see Larxene happy, but not at the cost of the pure embarrassment rushing through her body. She was out the door and moving down the castle at a rapid pace. She entered into the City That Never Was, a slight drip of water descending from the sky now and then, and started wandering around, wondering what to do with her day.

_I vote sleep..._

" _I just woke up though_ ," replied Xion.

_Well, lucky you, I shouldn't BE up..._

_"Well, go back to sleep then,"_ answered Xion.

_I CAN'T!_

Xion flinched a bit at the Voice's anger and grew silent, not wanting to agitate her anymore. She paused when she noticed a somewhat familiar face, Xurrath if she recalled correctly, sitting on a bench, sharpening his sword with a stone.

_Arthur, not Xurrath, or... whatever... he's not him anyway... just a shell..._

Xion ignored the voice and approached the boy. "Hello!"

The boy briefly looked up before refocusing on his sword. "Xion."

Xion was slightly offputt by the cold greeting, but banished it. "So, how are you today?"

He shrugged. "Empty, same as always."

Sheesh, he was a party pooper. "Well... won't be forever, you'll get your heart back someday."

Xurrath frowned. "I'm not honestly sure I want it back."

_Definitely not the real Arthur._

"Why not?" asked Xion.

Xurrath set down the stone. "Because it made me a coward."

_What? How?!_

Xion could admit she was a little curious to. "How so?"

He hefted up his blade, swinging it out before him. "When I had a heart, I never had any real courage. I always needed someone out there with me, always needed someone to clean up my mess or save my life. When it truly mattered, on that final day, I was worthless, I couldn't save anyone, and Kairi had to save my life."

_Arthur... that's... not fair. You were just a boy... you shouldn't have been so hard on yourself..._

Arthur lowered his sword and stared at Xion for a moment, before speaking quietly, "I never even had the courage to tell her I liked her."

_I... he... what?!_

Xion was a bit confused. "Liked her? You weren't already her friend?"

Arthur gave her a slightly confused look. "I was, but I meant, ya know, like ask yo... ask _her_ to be my girlfriend."

_Oh gosh... he's serious, that's kind of adorable...  
_

"Umm... I don't get it," said Xion, "Whats the difference between a friend and a girlfriend?"

Xurrath stared at her with empty disbelief. "Xion..."

He sighed and resumed sharpening his sword. "Didn't have the courage before, doesn't matter if I tell it now. It appears I'm always the loser."

_Arthur..._

Xion felt a bit sad at his words, walked up to him, and gave him a hug. "Don't worry about it. Next time you see Kairi when you get your heart back, why don't you ask her to be your... um... girlfriend thingy?"

Xurrath looked slightly startled and confused by the hug. "I... well... maybe I will. Probably won't though, I'll just chicken out again."

Xion separated from him and gave him a scolding look. "None of that mister!"

_Oh gosh... stop..._

Xurrath slowly shook his head and focused on his sword, going silent.

Xion took that as her cue to leave and did so.

_Jeez... I'm sorry to burst his bubble... but... I mean... he was always kind of like a little brother... there's no way that could work. Gosh that's going to be awkward if I ever get out of this mess and it happens. Or... maybe I could tease him about it? Tee hee...  
_

Xion's eyebrows furrowed with confusion before she shook it off, just happy the Voice didn't seem angry anymore. She decided to head to Xifta's bar and see how she was doing. She walked in and looked around, noting it was rather busy today. Xifta looked booked, scrambling a bit to handle all her customers. It was probably a bad time...

But, maybe not for someone else.

The two Nobodies that played music at the front of the bar weren't there today, instead, Xokie was by herself at a table fiddling with her flute, and Demyx was no where to be seen. Xion took the initiative and walked over, planting herself down opposite of the little girl.

"Hello," said Xion.

Xokie eyed her briefly before returning to her flute, not offering a greeting.

Pff... did everyone everywhere wake up grumpy?

"So, how goes it today?" Xion asked.

Xokie shrugged. "Bored. Demyx is off on a mission, don't feel like playing solo."

Hmm... that gave her an idea.

"Well, if your not busy today, how about you go check on your Garnet friend?" asked Xion.

Xokie gave her a look. "Are you still on about that? I told you, I don't wanna see her."

"Well, have you thought she might really want to see you?" asked Xion.

That, made Xokie go very quiet, bowing her head and staring at her flute.

"I got you there, and you soooo know it," teased Xion.

Xokie scowled at her. "You're a pest, you know that?"

_Parasite is more like it._

Xion rolled her eyes, at the both of them. "Oh just go already."

"No," said Xokie.

"Come on," begged Xion.

"Nope," said Xokie, shaking her head.

"Pretty please?" said Xion.

"I said no!" answered Xokie, glaring at her.

"I'm not gonna leave you alone until you do," said Xion.

Xokie sighed. "You're worse than I was when I had a heart."

Xion only grinned in response.

"Fine! I'll go check on her, but I'm not going to speak to her, just take a peak and leave," said Xokie stubbornly.

Oh, she was going to meet Garnet, if Xion had anything to say about that. She hid her smirk and rose to her feet.

"Well, let's go then!" said Xion.

"Why are you coming?" asked Xokie.

"Well, I wanna take a peak at your Garnet friend too, all I have is this fuzzy memory of her," half lied Xion.

Xokie shrugged. "Whatever..."

The little girl walked out of the bar with Xion on her heels, and made a Dark Corridor, walking through. They came out in what looked like a courtyard, behind a bush.

Xokie closed her eyes for a moment, a brief glow of gray nothingness surrounding her. "Garnet is... in the gardens."

"Can pick her out just like that huh?" asked Xion.

Xokie opened her eyes and started walked. "We did travel with one another for awhile."

Xokie moved carefully, making sure not to be seen by the female soldiers on patrol. Xion looked around as they went, identifying them as being outside a large and magnificent castle. Though, it did look a bit damaged and run down in certain places. She caught sight of a city across a pond, it looked really roughed up. Though, from what she could see, people were trying to repair and rebuild it.

They continued on, until they entered a reviving gardens. The plant-life was half-dead, tinted with darkness, but looking like it was slowly recovering. In the center of the garden, in a sectioned off area with a plague reading: "Champion's Rest", before a set of gravestones, were two kneeling woman. Xion focused on the far more stronger and intimidating presence first.

She was a tall woman, looking a little old. She was physically strong. She had brown hair, extending to around her collar bone. Her eyes, were a mixture of red and purple. She had a silvery cloth over her right eye, wrapping into her hair. She wore a white, sleeveless top that was tied together with cord between the two halves, The top connected into a cape that hung down to her feet. On her hands were large finger-less gauntlets that extended a little past her wrists. On her right arm only she had a steel brace like armor extending to a bit above her elbow. Connecting her top and bottom half's was a buckle that held a sword sheath angling a bit behind her. Her leggings were a tight red-brown. Her boots, steel, with a white red cloth mix at the top.

_General Beatrix..._

The second was a young woman with long black hair, dressed in a white blouse with a tight orange full body jumpsuit going down to her feet. She had a staff set on the ground beside her. She had her hands clasped together tightly, her eyes shut, a grieving look on her face.

_Queen Garnet..._

Xion leaned forward and squinted, reading the names off the gravestones: Zidane, Stiener, Freya, Eiko, and Amarant. Oh... they really thought Eiko was dead. Well... was being a Nobody technically being dead? They lost their hearts and faded away to be 'reborn' as a Nobody, but... well... she didn't really know the answer to that.

She noticed Xokie was gripping the bush she was hiding behind tightly, an empty, pained look on her face as she whispered, "Dagger..."

Xion grinned mischievously, snuck behind Xokie, and lifted her up.

The little girl gave a start. "Whaaa?"

The two woman kneeling at the graves jumped to their feet and spun around as Xion came out of hiding and tossed Xokie forward. "Special delivery!"

Xokie landed on her face a few feet into the garden, and shook her head, rising to her feet and turning her head to glare at Xion. "You're horrible!"

Xion merely giggled in response.

"E...Eiko?!" came a shocked voice from Garnet.

"EIKO!" screamed the young woman, rushing to Xokie and wrapping her in a heavy hug, falling to her knees and starting to sob.

Xokie stood there silently, glancing down at the crying woman, an empty and slightly sad look on her face.

Xion had a soft and victorious smile on her face.

Beatrix showed and said nothing, save a slight narrowing of her eyes as she studied Xokie and Xion.

"I... I thought... you were dead," whispered Garnet.

Xokie said nothing.

Garnet sniffled and pulled back slightly to look her friend over. "Eiko?"

"That's not Eiko," said Beatrix warily, her hand slowly going to her sword, "Those black coats, that empty feeling, they're Nobodies."

Garnet rose to her feet, taking a confused and hesitant step back. "I..."

Xokie bowed her head and started to back away, before turning and starting to take off. "Stupid Xion! I told you she wouldn't..."

Garnet didn't let her get far, charging after her and grabbing her arm. "Eiko wait!"

The woman turned to glare at Beatrix. "Keep your sword sheathed! I don't care if she's a Nobody, she's my friend!"

Beatrix hesitated briefly before moving her hand away from her sword.

Xokie still hadn't turned around, her head bowed.

Garnet slowly knelt down and put her hands on Xokie's shoulders, forcefully turning her around. "Eiko..."

She wrapped the little girl in a hug. "I'm so glad you're... I don't care if you're a Nobody, I'm just happy you still exist."

"If you call this existing," murmured Xokie.

Garnet pulled back enough to playfully poke her nose. "None of that."

Xion brought an arm up to block a giggle.

Xokie just stared at Garnet, a slightly helpless look on her face.

Garnet studied her, growing sad. "You... really don't have a heart though, do you? You can't... feel?"

"No," whispered Xokie.

Garnet tightly hugged her again. "I'm so sorry Eiko... I'm sorry we didn't get there faster... I'm sorry we couldn't save you."

Xokie hesitated briefly and slowly brought her arms up to return the hug. Xion felt something... strange from the little girl then. It was like the sensation of nothingness had faded for the moment, making her almost seem whole, before the feeling of nothingness returned.

_That sensation again... is this... what Sora said?  
_

"Eiko... what about the others?" asked Garnet, slowly pulling away and sitting down in front of her.

"They're Nobodies too," offered Xokie quietly, "But... they're not the same, none of us are."

"What do you mean?" asked Garnet.

"Xanediz really... well...," began Xokie.

"Who?" asked Garnet.

"Oh um, right, we kind of adopt new names when we become Nobodies, until we find a way to get our hearts back, we put X's in our name and scramble them," said Xokie, "I go by Xokie now."

Garnet seemed a bit confused by the notion. "Oh, um... odd. So... Xanediz is... Zidane?"

Xokie nodded. "Yes. He's... kind of like his old self, but ten times worse."

That seemed to amuse Garnet. "Worse?"

"He... tries so hard to seem like a normal person, like nothing's wrong, he overcompensates, a lot," said Xokie, "If I had a heart, I'd cringe every time, it's kind of painful to watch."

There was a soft, sad smile on Garnet's face.

Xokie hesitated and glanced at Beatrix. "Xetisren... Steiner... I don't go near him anymore. He's gone... cold, really cold."

Beatrix had a heavy frown on her face, but said nothing.

"Fexray, Freya... doesn't do anything but drink and go on missions," said Xokie, "She doesn't talk. Outside of her name, I haven't heard her speak a single word since I came across her."

"Amarant... well... he's kind of the same, really quiet, haven't even gotten what his new name is out of him," said Xokie with a scowl, "Just calls me annoying and tells me to go away."

Garnet seemed to ponder her words for a few moments before asking, "Why didn't they come here with you to see us?"

Xokie turned her head to scowl at Xion. "I had only come to take a peak because she kept nagging me. Didn't know she was going to pick me up and throw me out here."

Xion gave her a cheeky grin.

Garnet's eyes flickered up to look at Xion, a warm smile on her face, suddenly, the woman's smile faded and a surprised look crossed her face. "You... look just like..."

Xion resisted the urge to groan. "My name's Xion."

She took a hesitant and fearful step when Beatrix drew her sword from her sheath and took a step forward. "She is the one the Keybearer's asked us to be on the lookout for."

Xion grew confused. "Someone's looking for me...?"

Garnet glared at Beatrix. "I said keep your sword sheathed General. She brought Eiko back to me, I don't care if they're looking for her at the moment."

Beatrix frowned briefly. "My Queen..."

"I'm making it an order," warned Garnet.

Beatrix sighed and sheathed her sword. "Very well."

Garnet bit her lip slightly and glanced back at Xion. "You may wish to leave though. The Keybearers still frequent our world to check in on us. I don't want today ruined by needless conflict."

_So... they still haven't given up..._

"Umm... okay, but, why am I being looked for?" asked Xion.

Garnet shook her head. "I'm not sure, all I know is it has something to do with Kairi."

Kairi.

That name again.

Every question, every mystery, every answer, seemed to revolve around that name...

Xion frowned briefly, thinking it over, before slowly shaking her head and glancing at Xokie, masking her uncertainty and giving the little girl a cheeky grin. "Have fun!"

Xokie scowled at her. "Get lost."

"Eiko!" admonished Garnet, "That's rude!"

Xokie crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Hmph."

Garnet just laughed. "Even without a heart, you're still the same little girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Xokie.

Xion took one last look at the pair, a smile on her face, before opening a Dark Corridor and leaving, coming back out in The World That Never Was.

_X...Xion..._

Xion paused, surprise on her face. Had the Voice actually called her by her name for once?

_S-shut up... just... why did you do that? Why did... why did you bring them back together?_

Xion tilted her head, slightly confused. " _Why wouldn't I? I wanted them Xokie to be happy, for Garnet to be happy too. The memory I had, she seemed really sad that her friend was gone._ "

_I don't... understand you. Why are you like this? Constantly doing these things? You... you're supposed to be a monster... a parasite... I don't... don't get it..._

Xion frowned. " _And I don't get you. Why do you keep calling me that? I've done nothing wrong!_ "

_You... no... you've... but... Xehanort stole... put my heart in... I..._

Xion felt her chest constrict and then relax. " _Uh... miss Voice?_ "

Nothing.

She sighed and mumbled to herself, "She has a bad habit of passing out when she gets worked up. She should really get that checked out, wherever she is."

Yet...

She crossed her arms, pondering her words. What she had said... Xehanort, the superior stole something from her? And 'put her heart'...? What was that supposed to mean? What had she been about to say? She grumbled to herself and started walking. What to do, what to do.

Hrm... why not go see what Aqua was doing?

She nodded to herself and formed a Dark Corridor, coming out in front of the Twilight Town Mansion. She walked up the door and knocked, waiting.

The door opened, but instead of Aqua, Olette was there. "Oh, hello Xion."

"Hi Olette, is Aqua in?" asked Xion.

Olette thumbed upstairs. "She's meditating."

"Oh, I can come back later," said Xion.

Olette grinned. "Nah, you can go bug her. It's about time she get her butt down here for some tea anyway."

Xion giggled and matched the grin, walking past her and up the stairs. She followed the powerful presence of the Nobody she was looking for and knocked on a door.

There was silence for a moment before Aqua called out, "Enter."

Xion walked into a completely white and barren room. Nothing on the walls, nothing on the floors, not a piece of furniture in sight. Aqua sat in the middle of it, her eyes closed, facing the door.

Xion glanced around, curious. "Whats with this room?"

Aqua slowly opened her eyes. "You again."

Xion pouted a little. "What? Am I not allowed to come around?

Aqua made a none-committal hum, closing her eyes.

"So... you meditate in here? It's kind of bland," said Xion.

"That's the point," said Aqua, "It's not supposed to be distracting. It..."

The woman opened her eyes and frowned. "It stirs a broken memory. I think... I meditated in a room like this, when I was a whole person, alongside my friends. It brings a... sensation of familiarity and... comfort."

Xion studied the woman, noticing how hard she seemed to be trying to think. "Well... Olette told me to tell you to get your butt downstairs for some tea."

Aqua blinked and stared at her.

Xion gave her a cheeky grin. "Her words not mine."

Aqua rose to her feet and walked passed her. "I assumed as much."

Xion followed her downstairs. "So, what's tea taste like?"

"Depends on the flavor, the one Olette brings is a bit sweet, slightly tangy," answered Aqua.

Aqua pasued at a door to the side room and turned. "Why exactly are you here?"

Xion pouted a little. "No missions today, wanted to see what you were up to."

"I see," said Aqua before walking into the room.

Xion walked in to see Olette pouring three cups. "So... you guys wanna get ice-cream later?"

Olette's eyes went wide. "Ice cream? Absolutely!"

"I suppose," said Aqua, indifferent.

"Oh! I can bring my other friends too! So they can meet you," said Xion, happy with the thought.

"Whose your other friends?" asked Olette.

"Axel and Larxene, well... kind of with Larxene, I'm working on it," said Xion.

Olette shrank behind Aqua. "L-larxene? You're freinds with that crazy Nobody?"

Aqua frowned, but didn't comment, studying Xion critically.

"She's not crazy! Well... maybe a little," admitted Xion, "I'm trying to help her out. She was so mean and angry all the time, I thought she could use a friend."

Olette gave her a hesitant questioning look.

Aqua merely deadpanned. "She could use a cord wrapped around her neck. She is the reason I created the rules for you Organization members, she threatened Olette's life once."

Xion winced at that before an idea hit her, an awesome and slightly devious idea. "If... I get her to apologize, will you give her a chance?"

Aqua crossed her arms. "You cannot be serious."

Xion merely smiled. "I am."

Aqua slowly shook her head and moved to sit at the table. "You are a strange child."

Xion decided to take it as a compliment. "I'll be at the clock tower in a bit, gotta go work over Larxene, bye!"

She scooted out of the room in a hurry and took a Dark Corridor back to her room in the Castle That Never Was. She walked out and back into the Gray Area. Some of the group had dispersed, but a few were still there, Larxene thankfully among them.

"Hi Larxene," said Xion cheerfully.

Larxene gave her a bland look. "You are way to energetic."

"Says the one who uses lightning," called over Xigbar.

Larxene rolled her eyes.

"So... wanna go get ice cream? My treat," offered Xion.

Larxene contemplated it for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, why not."

"You can come to Axel," called over Xion.

Axel raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You brought _HER_ out for ice cream?"

Larxene glared at him. "That a problem?"

Axel rolled his eyes and waved them off. "Whatever, I'll be over in a bit."

"Well well well, I dare say you've taken to young Xion," commented Marluxia, a glint of interest in his eyes.

Larxene frowned at him before 'hmph'ing. "Whatever."

Xion and Larxene moved through a Dark Corridor, coming out in Twilight Town.

Alright, phase one of her master plan was complete! Larxene was here with her.

Xion grinned mischievously. Time for phase two!

She led Larxene to the ice cream shop and purchased five ice creams.

"You trying to get fat?" asked Larxene, eyeing the ice creams.

She handed Larxene three of them. "Nope, I got a few more friends coming, you can hand it to them for me, as a nice way to greet them."

Larxene scoffed, but took them. "Right...whatever, probably some loser kids."

Phase two, complete! Larxene had the ice creams to hand off, now hopefully, the meeting wouldn't go toooooooo bad.

Hopefully.

She led Larxene up to the clocktower and sat down, Larxene sitting a little bit from her. "So, where are your loser friends?"

"That's not nice," scolded Xion.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Don't really care."

"Didn't anyone teach you that's not a good way to make friends? I don't have memories from before and even I know that," jabbed Xion playfully.

"Pff," said Larxene, setting two of the three ice creams down and starting to open hers.

"Hey! No eating without everyone present," scolded Xion.

Larxene scowled. "Oh come on, you're lucky I even decide to waste my precious time coming up here with you."

"Says the lady whose always bored," teased Xion.

If she didn't know any better, she was sure Larxene was trying to hide a smirk. "Whatever kid."

Xion felt Aqua's presence off in the distance drawing closer, and decided it was time to enact phase three, along with distracting her comrade. "Say Larxene, did you know that offering someone ice cream is a good way to apologize? Axel told me."

"That right?" said Larxene with disinterest.

"C'mon, you don't have anyone you'd want to apologize too?" asked Xion.

"Nope," said Larxene, "Got a list a mile long of people who ought to buy me ice cream from back home though if that's your motto."

"Oh really?" asked Xion.

"Pff, I knew a ton of asshats at work," said Larxene dryly.

"What's an a...," began Xion.

"Eh... don't repeat what I said, Axel will probably yell at me," said Larxene.

Xion shrugged. "Okay."

"So... you have no one you'd want to apologize to? Not even here in Twilight town?" asked Xion.

Larxene frowned. "Uh, no? Who the hell would I apologize to here?"

"Perhaps the child whose life you threatened?" came an empty voice.

Larxene turned her head and froze, sighting Aqua and Olette coming around the clock-tower. "Uhhhhh Xion..."

"Hi guys!" said Xion cheerfully.

Aqua didn't respond, merely staring down at the sitting Larxene, an almost challenging look in her slightly narrowed eyes, making Larxene pale, a hint of fear crossing her face. Olette peaked out from behind Aqua, but didn't say anything.

Xion elbowed Larxene. "C'mon, give them the ice cream."

Larxene glanced back and forth between Xion, Aqua, and the ice creams before her fear faded and a deep scowl spread across her face and she glared at Xion. "YOU! You totally set this up!"

Xion grinned. "Guilty as charged!"

Larxene ground her teeth, grabbed the ice creams and roughly shoved them at Aqua. "Fine whatever, sorry, have your stupid ice cream."

Success! Kind of.

Aqua gave a none-committal hum and sat down, Olette hesitatingly doing the same.

"See, was that so hard?" asked Xion.

Larxene scowled, a dark look on her face. "Don't see her apologizing for her Heartless ripping my heart out and eating it right in front of me as I died and turned into a Nobody, now do you?"

Xion opened and closed her mouth a few times. "U...uh..."

Olette winced at that. "Oh..."

Aqua didn't respond to the comment, merely splitting open her ice cream and starting to eat it. The rest of them awkwardly started doing the same.

"For what it's worth," said Aqua all the sudden, "While I don't think I should apologize for something out of my control, that I personally did not do, you have it all the same."

Larxene hesitated, giving her a brief uncertain look, before mumbling, "Whatever..."

There was silence for a few minutes before a voice chuckled and said, "Xion, how did this go from just the two of us, to all of these guys?"

Xion glanced over and saw Axel leaning against the clock tower behind them, eyebrow raised at her.

Xion giggled and chucked the last ice cream at him. "Oh shut up and eat your ice cream."

Axel caught it, slowly shook his head, seeming amused, and moved to sit down next to Xion. He gave a polite head tip to Aqua, but said nothing. Aqua did likewise.

"So, we gonna have the entire Core Organization up here by the end of the week?" asked Axel teasingly.

Xion stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. "Oh shaddup.

She tilted her head back. "Well, maybe Luxord, he pretty fun."

"Oh I liked him!" said Olette, "We play cards whenever he's supposed to be spying on Aqua."

Larxene snorted. "That is _so_ him."

"You don't seem phased by the whole spying thing," said Axel.

"Well, not many of you are good at it," teased Olette, "I kind of make it a game to see if I can spot whose spying on Aqua for the day before she can. I don't usually win though."

Aqua made a none-committal hum, focusing on her ice cream.

"I really should have spotted Xion first when we first met her, she was totally leaning obviously out from behind a tree," said Olette, giggling.

Xion's face turned red and squeaked out, "W-was not!"

"I believe you were in fact doing as Olette said," countered Aqua, "And talking loudly to yourself about something."

"Note to self, don't bring Xion on any recon missions," said Axel, poking Xion's shoulder.

Xion glared at and elbowed him. "Hey!"

Axel grinned and elbowed her back. The two started laughing. Olette giggled, joining in a little.

Xion faced forward and smiled warmly at the sunset. She found it odd how it was always setting here no matter the time, but it made for a perfect view no matter the time. Moments like these... she loved and lived for them...

She paused, cocking her head and hearing a soft whimper at the back of her mind.

_It's not fair... it's not fair... why couldn't... why couldn't I have this...?_

Xion frowned, contemplative. She thought quietly to herself, trying to hide her thoughts from the Voice, and wondered how long the Voice had been watching and listening. She wished the Voice would just _talk_ to her. Tell her what's wrong, why she was always grouchy and sounding tired and passing out. It... just didn't seem normal, and was kind of concerning. She made a decision and decided, no matter what, tomorrow she was getting to the bottom of what was up with the Voice.

She'd have done it today, but she had _plans_ for Larxene and Axel. They weren't getting away from her until she introduced them to everyone in Nothing's Watch and took them to the bar to listen to music and hang out. She had a long list of fun things stacking up in her mind to do with her two friends. She contemplated asking Aqua and Olette to join them, but figured they wouldn't want to leave Twilight Town. Ah well...

The only thing, aside from those two joining them, that would have made this day any more perfect, would have been if the Voice could join them as well...

She really wanted to meet her...

Whoever she was.


	10. Inner Torment

Xion yawned, got up out of bed, and stretched, scratching her head. "Mmm... what a day yesterday was..."

She smiled softly to herself. "Time for another fun day!"

_Fun... right... for you maybe..._

" _Morning miss Voice,_ " said Xion.

_..._

Hrm... not even a 'what's so good about it'.

_Don't have... the energy to argue... with you..._

Xion's eyes furrowed, the Voice sounded even more tired than yesterday, exhausted even. Xion hummed quietly to herself and left her room, going to the Gray Area and walking up to Saix.

"Morning, there any mission's today?" asked Xion.

Saix nodded. "You are to reap Heartless today. Go to whatever world you so choose and proceed for at least three hours. Preferably more."

"Okie dokie," said Xion, turning and walking off.

Any world of her choosing huh? Hmm... there was a world, in the odd memory flashes she saw, that she was curious about. She imagined it in her mind and opened a Dark Corridor, walking through and coming out in a night-lit town full of wooden and brick buildings and street lights.

_Traverse Town... but not my... Traverse Town..._

She started walking around the area she was in, up a flight of steps, and around a shop. She glanced through windows and peaked through doors. The place was completely empty... kind of spooky.

_WARP_

Xion paused and turned, sighting Heartless appear and start towards her, she summoned Oathkeeper. "Okay, might as well get the mission done while I explore."

The Heartless here were weak, mostly little shadows. It allowed her to focus on an odd conundrum. This place... it was familiar, and similar to the memory flashes, but not quite right. The streets didn't look quite the same and she couldn't find the bar Xifta worked at when she was a whole person. As much as she didn't like the pain the memory flashes brought on, she had been hoping something might happen. But nothing did, she actually hadn't seen any for awhile, it was like they were locked up tight.

_They... are... you're not stealing... anymore..._

Xion glanced around, checking for any Heartless, before deciding that enough was enough and that she might as well get started.

_Started with... what?_

"You," said Xion aloud.

...

"You've been with me ever since I woke up," began Xion, "I wanna know, who are you?"

_None of... your damn... business..._

Xion narrowed her eyes. "I think it is. You _know_ things. About me, about the Superior, about Nobodies, about the people I meet, and places I go to, and about Kairi too if I had to guess."

...

"Who are you?" demanded Xion, "And why are you always so angry towards me! I've done nothing wrong to you!"

_Like hell... you haven't..._

"Well? What have I done then?" asked Xion.

_You... exist..._

Xion flinched at those words, tightening her fists, sniffling. "Why... why are you so mean!"

_I have every... right to be!_

Xion had about as much as she could take for the moment and stormed down the street, hunting for Heartless to vent on and destroying them. When she calmed down, she leaned against a building, working over in her mind what to do.

"Okay, miss Voice, can you _PLEASE_ answer a question for me?" she asked.

_No._

"Please?" she asked.

_No._

"I can do this all day," said Xion.

_So... can I..._

Xion opened and closed her mouth a few times, stumped. The Voice was just as stubborn as she was...

_I'm... nothing like... you!_

Xion flinched at the pure venom coating the words. "I just... I don't understand... I don't want you to be mad at me..."

_Yeah? Well I... don't want... to be leeched on... so tough shit..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Leeched on...? What's that supposed to mean?"

No answer came.

She sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. " _Please... just talk to me. What's wrong? Why are you always so angry? So tired?_ "

No answer came... no wait... she focused intently, hearing a faint whisper. There was shame in the whisper, but also raw desperation.

_Sora... where are you? Please... I... I need your help... I can't... can't take... much more of this... I feel... more and more drained... each passing day... please... help me...  
_

Sora?

She tilted her head in thought, the faint image of a brown haired boy coming into her head.

_N...no! S-stop!_

Xion focused on the image and pulled at it, for a second, it felt as if something was trying to pull it back before she yanked it to her. She had barely a second to register it, register a boy with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and a kind face, before a horrific scream ripped through her head from the Voice.

_No.. no no... please... please don't..._

She froze, feeling paralyzed and confused. What in the world was going on with the Voice? Where had that pained scream come from?

"Miss Voice... what's going on?" she pleaded, "Let me help..."

_You... you damn... bitch... parasite... you... you... ripped it from me... and say... you want to help?_

Xion was so... so sick of this crap. She had been trying to be nice, trying to figure out what was wrong, was more than willing to help, and all she got was _this_.

She exploded, "What the heck is your problem!?"

Her answer wasn't what she thought it would be.

To Xion's surprise, the voice started sobbing uncontrollably, with pain, fear, and despair.

_I'M TIRED! I... I'm so exhausted... I want to sleep... but I can't properly... do so... I lose bits and pieces... of myself when I do... because I'm in use... it doesn't even... matter anymore... so tired... I can't even stop you... from taking them anymore... I don't want to be alone... I don't want to die... I don't... don't... want to fade away... please... please... don't kill me..._

Xion was stunned, and then terrified by the outburst, the Voice breaking down like this wasn't right. The Voice was supposed to be strong, uptight, and a little crude. This? This made her feel all sorts of anxious. Something _wrong_ was going on...

She shoved away all her misgivings. "I don't understand, I would never kill someone innocent, why would you say that? What and how am I taking from you? How can I help you? How can I let you sleep? Please, just tell me, just trust me."

_Please... just... don't do... anything... just... rest... let me... s...sl...eep... don't... don't... kill... me... pl... plea...se...  
_

Xion felt her chest constrict heavily, far more than normal when the Voice passed out, and then deeply relax. The Voice had passed out again. Only... this time, Xion was deathly afraid the Voice wouldn't wake up if she didn't do what she asked. Screw the mission. She took a corridor directly to her room, sat on her bed, and hugged her knees to herself, wishing she could do something more to comfort the Voice.

She laid down and curled up into a bull under the covers, focusing all of her efforts on trying to keep her mind clear and try to sleep. In that silence, she noticed, she felt something... strange. There was a warmth spreading out from her chest, and into the rest of her body. She... started to feel a little more focused, a little stronger, she could feel memories trying to dance before her eyes...

Yet...

She focused on none of that. She focused on the chilling feeling in her chest. Her body was feeling... _good_... but her chest, where a heart should be, felt ice cold. It felt _wrong_. She shoved away the warm sensation, trying to will it back to her chest, and struggled against the conflicting feelings for hours.

_Knock knock knock_

"Yo, Xion you in there? Up for ice cream?" came in Axel's voice.

Xion clasped her hands over her ears, trying to block out his voice.

"Xion?" came Axel again.

"Go away!" she cried out hoarsely.

There was silence for a second before the door opened and footsteps approached the bed. "Xion? What's wrong?"

She curled up even tighter against herself.

Axel put a hand on her shoulder. "Something go wrong with a mission?"

"Please... leave me alone," she begged, "She needs me..."

"She?" questioned Axel.

She didn't reply.

Axel sighed, and pushed up a pillow against her. "Alright then, I'll check back in later, but you don't know what your missing. It's two for the price of one on ice-cream today!"

Silence.

She swore she could feel unease emanate from Axel at the lack of her reaction to ice cream. She didn't like the idea of upsetting him but he didn't understand. He had to GO!

Thankfully, he didn't push the issue and left a minute later. Xion took a ragged breath, trying to calm her fear and anxiety, and do what the Voice asked...

* * *

Axel sat on top of the clock tower, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, nibbling on ice cream.

"So, where's the dopey kid?" came a voice, "Thought this was an everyday thing."

He turned his head to see Larxene coming to sit beside him, he offered her an ice cream and she took it. "In her room curled under her blankets, shes upset about something. I think something went wrong on her mission. Thought she might have failed and Saix yelled at her, but when I asked, he hadn't even seen her since before she left."

"Well, can't blame it on a period and a mood swing," said Larxene, "Nobodies cant get those."

Axel coughed. "I'm trying to eat here."

"Tough it up," said Larxene.

Axel rolled his eyes.

Larxene slowly shook her head. "Of all the emotions she chose to fake, the ones she picks are bizarre."

Axel went silent at that.

Larxene's eyes flickered to him. "Especially since she seems to be so... _sincere_... in what she fakes."

Axel winced slightly. "So... you've seen it too, huh?"

She scoffed. "How could I not? Go on one mission with her, spend any amount of time with the kid, and it's obvious. She... acts almost like a normal person, aside from the overly nice part, because NO ONE is that nice in real life. Yet she doesn't feel like a Somebody. Hell, she hardly feels like a Nobody either on that topic."

Axel nodded slowly. "There is something strange Xion, I'll give her that."

Larxene gave him a pointed look. "It's way more than just 'something strange'. I didn't act on it yesterday because everyone else was there, but when I was teasing you about strip poker, she BLUSHED. Not a little empty or a faked forced one, she full on turned beat red, and blushed. Nobodies CAN'T blush like that. How the hell do you explain it?"

Axel went silent before offering a quiet, "I can't."

He turned over Larxene's question in his head for a moment before he dismissed it for a different topic, one he'd been meaning to take up with her after seeing Xion with the woman. "Larxene..."

"What?" she asked.

"For Xion's sake, since she likes you for some reason...," he began.

She slugged his shoulder, hard. "The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

He turned to stare at her, a dangerous glint in his eye. "For Xion's sake, you should be careful with whose crazy schemes you choose to follow. You and Marluxia aren't as subtle and sneaky as you think you are."

Larxene froze.

"If you get yourself killed, that's your business, but I'd rather not see Xion hurt because you bit it," he said, "So you had best do some thinking and decide if you want to risk what little existence you have now."

Larxene went silent, saying and betraying nothing, no hint of what she thought.

A none-committal hum sounding to their left. "Perhaps we've come at a poor time."

Axel turned his head, sighting Aqua's Nobody and Olette standing at the other end of the clock-tower. "By all means, have a seat, we just finished our 'heart to heart'."

Aqua didn't seem impressed. "I believe one requires a heart to have one of those."

Axel smirked at that, but didn't say anything. As he had last time, he hid his unease that she was here. He didn't like Xion trying to befriend this woman. She was _dangerous_ , beyond dangerous. She was someone that no Nobody alive _dared_ to cross, not even the Superior wanted anything to do with her. Messing with her was asking to get killed. Though on the other end of the spectrum, getting on her good side wasn't a bad idea. That Olette girl was practically untouchable unless someone wanted Aqua's Nobody to kill them. He wouldn't mind Xion having a safety net to fall back on if something happened.

"So... where's Xion?" asked Olette, "I nagged Aqua into taking me here so I could ask Xion if she wanted to have a sleepover."

Larxene snorted. "Sleepover? Really?"

Olette pouted. "Yeah, why not? They're fun!"

Axel tilted his head back, thinking to the last sleepover he had waaaaaay back when he was a somebody, and a kid. Him and Isa, just relaxing, chilling out, and goofing off. Good and better times...

"I believe Olette asked a question," said Aqua when Axel didn't respond.

"Huh? Oh, uh, Xion's... in her room," he said, "Think she had a rough mission or something and went to sleep it off."

"Oh," said Olette, disappointed, "Well, hopefully she feels better later, or tomorrow."

"I hope so too kid, I hope so too," murmured Axel, staring off into the sunset...

* * *

Unfortunately, the next day, that wasn't the case. Axel waited in the Gray Area for Xion to arrive, but she never did.

Saix waited near him, a bit impatient. "Where is Number Thirteen? I have a mission she would be suited for. Go fetch her."

Axel nodded and walked to her room, knocking on the door. "Xion?"

Nothing.

He frowned and opened the door. He was 'somewhat' pleased to see Xion was there, and wasn't curled up in the fetal position anymore. Yet... why was she still laying around? He took a few steps closer and noted something... odd... several things actually.

First, her hair... it seemed... off. Those who didn't spend time with her probably wouldn't notice it. It took him a moment of careful inspection to note a slight red tint near the roots of her hair. It wasn't blood, she wasn't injured... yet... it almost seemed like her hair was starting to change colors? The heck? Her face seemed... slightly hardened, a little more rough around the edges. These were changes that shouldn't just happen overnight. It almost seemed like... bizarre as the thought was, like she was starting to change to look like someone else.

He refocused. Her half opened eyes had an almost glazed look to them, she was still, and was barely breathing. He might have been concerned, except, the even pace of her breathing made him wonder if this was some kind of... trance or meditation or something. He knelt down next to her bed and waved a hand in front of her eyes. No reaction.

"Xion?" he asked.

Nothing.

He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a shake. "Xion?"

She flinched slightly. "Ngh..."

"Wake up sleepyhead, it's almost noon," he scolded lightly.

"A...xel?" she murmured, blinking a few times.

"Yo, you missed ice cream yesterday, we ate it all without you," he teased, "If your late, you miss ice cream, got it memorized?"

She stared at him, in a daze for a moment, before she fully came to and froze. "No... I... I... you need to leave!"

He blinked a few times. "Xion? What's up with you?"

He grew still as she rolled away and curled up, pulling the covers up over her head. "No... go away... she needs to sleep..."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Who needs to sleep? Xion, what's going on with you...?"

"GO AWAY!" she screamed at him, making him jump a little.

He stared down at her, at a loss. What in the world...

"Please... please go away," she begged, sounding like she was about to start crying.

"Alright Xion...," he whispered, backing out of the room and closing the door.

He leaned against the door, deep in thought. Something was going on with her, something _wrong_. He hesitated and put a hand to his chest, feeling a tightness he hadn't felt in years. It... almost 'felt' like concern, fear, for the girl. Ever since he had started getting to know her and hanging around her, he had started 'feeling' off. It was easier to try and replicate emotions. He didn't understand what was happening, and he was fairly certain he wasn't the only one that 'felt' this way. The day she had dragged him and Larxene along to meet all her friends in Nothing's Watch...

Anyone she connected with, and connected with her back, seemed more... alive. More whole. More complete. Someone would have to be blind, or drinking kool-aid and intentionally looking the other way, to not notice it. It was like... her innocence touched the wound that was their missing hearts, and tried to mend it. He smirked at the corny thought and slowly shook his head. Her innocent naive nature was what had first drawn him to her, and stopped him from just treating her like any normal member of the Organization, because he sure hadn't taken anyone else but her to that perfect sunset spot to share ice cream with, even Saix...

Which brought him back to reality. How was he going to get Saix to just let Xion go without doing a mission?

"Ho boy...," he muttered, scratching the back of his head, and starting to walk back to the Gray Area...

* * *

By the third day, his nerves were starting to get fried, and he wanted to start pulling his hair out. The others were starting to get on his case, three days of Xion just not showing up was a unmissable change. He wouldn't be able to keep covering or calling in favors for long. The moment the Superior caught wind, it was going to stop. People who did not pull their weight in the Organization didn't last long, they were either cast out to the lower branches, turned into a dusk, or destroyed... and he would not let that happen to Xion, even if he had to drag her out of bed himself.

Speaking of which...

Larxene had teased him about it, called him a creeper and a perv, hopefully jokingly, but he had found himself quietly standing inside Xion's room, leaning against the wall, watching her 'sleep', when he wasn't on duty. That empty meditative state... what was she trying to do? How did this 'help' someone? He didn't get it... sure, being lazy was a good way to help one's self when they didn't feel like doing anything, he personally agreed with that motto, but others? Yet... she seemed to desperately believe it would help someone. He hadn't tried to 'wake' her up again, he didn't like seeing her upset with him, seeing her... scared like that. She acted like it was life or death for someone...

_Knock_

"Axel," came Saix's cold voice, "The Superior requests your presence."

Ah crap, already? He'd hope he could at least stall for a day or two more...

He walked out of Xion's room and passed Saix without a word. He silently moved to the Round Room. He had expected the Superior to be there, of course, but why was Vexen also there? He stood in the center, arms, crossed, staring up at the old geezer and the crazy scientist.

"Axel," began the Superior, "I've received word that our newest member has not been performing her duties, and has not left her room for several days. I have also heard that you have been watching over her. What exactly appears to be the problem?"

He figured their would be no bullshitting the Superior, eventually when Xion came out of her room, so he decided to be half-honest. "She's been stressed the last few days. Not exactly sure why. She's been sleeping, or in some kind of trance. Screams at me to get out if I wake her up."

The Superior frowned. "And you have no clue why?"

He'd give away the hair, it would be obvious anyway, but not what Xion said about 'she needs me' or 'she needs to sleep'. Not until he figured it out for himself.

"Not exactly, no, but, there was something odd I noticed, her hair seems... I dunno, like it's turning red? Kind of strange," said Axel.

The hair on the back of Axel's neck stood straight up as the Superior and Vexen exchanged glances and smirked. Oh man, old creeper vibes were going haywire right now...

"Very well, as you said, perhaps she is simply stressed. She is still a very new Nobody, not to mention young regardless of her lack of a heart. We will give her another... four days to rest, a week of recovery should be more than sufficient. Afterwords, she is to resume her duties," said the Superior.

It took everything Axel had to not just let his jaw drop and gape at the Superior. What the heck?

"You may go," said the Superior with a flap of his hand.

Axel turned and strode out, his mind working furiously. The Superior did NOT just give people vacation and time off to rest like that, not unless he was repeadently nagged. There was no chance of it being born out of concern. That smile... when he had told them about her hair...

There was no surprise, no curiosity, nor was their disbelief and doubt. They accepted it and smirked, gave her the rest of a week off, and called it at that.

They _knew_ something about what was going on with Xion. In fact, both the Superior, Vexen, and even Marluxia, had shown abnormal interest in the girl when she first arrived. Drawing such interest was never a good thing for anyone, but... Xion...

Was... Xion safe here?

Under normal circumstance, he'd have thought being in the Organization was the safest place for a Nobody. Yet... that knowing smirk of theirs... it was to easy for him to tell, they had some sort of scheme or plan involving his friend...

He did not trust Xion with them. Not to mention the whole Marluxia betrayal thing going on, he knew _THAT_ was going to crash and burn spectacularly at some point, and Xion had thrust herself right into the middle of it.

He needed something for Xion to fall back on, incase things here ever went south. He formed a Dark Corridor, and did something he had told himself never to do. He came out in front of the Twilight Town Mansion, and knocked on the door. He waited, uneasily, at the powerful presence of Aqua's Nobody approached the door and then opened it. She stood there, staring at him silently. Neither of them really interacted with one another, outside of a few words on the clocktower. Him all of the sudden showing up here was unusual, to say the least.

"I got a favor to ask you," said Axel with a careful tone.

She frowned briefly. "Is that so? And what, exactly, is it?"

"Something's going on in the Organization, rubs me wrong. I'm not sure if it will, but, if things go south, and I brought Xion to you, would you look after her? Like you do with Olette?" he asked.

Aqua blinked once, her face betraying nothing. "I will consider it."

Good enough for him. "Alright, thanks."

He turned to go, only to pause as Aqua asked, "Speaking of her, has Xion stirred yet? Olette has been asking about her, frequently."

"Not really," he answered, "She's got another four days, then the Superior is gonna make her get up and resume her duties."

"I see, I will pass that on. As a note, Olette has been distressed over her, and that _displeases_ me, greatly. I fully expect Xion to show up for ice cream in four days, and I will _not_ be pleased if she does not," said Aqua before she closed the door without further word.

Axel let out a breath. "Ho boy... she makes ice cream seem like life or death."

He took a Dark Corridor back to Xion's room and leaned against the wall, watching her rest. "Xion... what am I going to do with you?"


	11. Keybearer

"Xion, wake up," came Axel's voice.

Xion blinked a few times. "Gna..."

_shake shake shake_

"Xion, get up," came Axel's voice again.

Xion glanced up. "A-axel...?"

"Morning sleepyhead," said Axel, a hint of releif on his face.

Xion froze. "N-no! Axel, I told you, I..."

"Xion, you've been sleeping for a week now, you CAN'T keep doing this," said Axel, "I'd let you sleep more if it was up to me, but it's not. The Superior's ordered me to get you up to resume your duties."

"I don't care," said Xion stubbornly.

"You will if he orders you to be destroyed for not doing what's required of you," warned Axel.

Xion froze, looking at him in shock. "He'd... do that?"

Axel nodded. "He would. Or at least he'd demote you or turn you into a dusk."

Xion paled a little.

Axel's face softened and he offered her a hand. "C'mon Xion, up and at em."

Xion sighed, hoping a week had been enough to help the Voice, and took his hand. "Okay..."

He hauled her up and out of bed. Xion gave a yelp when her legs wobbled and she crumpled against him. He caught her and held her steady.

"Woah... my legs feel all stiff and sore," she said.

"Well, you were sleeping in one spot for a week straight, of course they are," he scolded, "If you don't use your body, it gets stiff and weaker, got it memorized?"

Xion nodded. "Yeah."

Axel held her for a moment longer before separating. "Take a quick walk around the room a few times to help your body wake up."

Xion did as instructed...

_Gna..._

Xion gave a small gasp. " _Miss Voice?!_ "

"Something wrong Xion?" asked Axel.

"Umm... N-no," she stammered out.

_Where... what happened...?_

"I'm so glad your okay miss Voice," said Xion, trying hard not to sniffle, " _I was so scared when you passed out. I did what you said. I did nothing but rest for a week, I would have let you sleep longer, but they wouldn't let me._ "

_You... you let me sleep? I... I don't understand... why? You could have killed me, could have taken everything from me..._

Xion narrowed her eyes. " _I'm so sick of this. Miss Voice! Why do you always accuse me of such things? I don't want to hurt you, and if I have somehow, then I'm sorry. I just want to help..._ "

_I... X...Xion... t-thank you..._

Xion froze, feeling like a bolt of lightning had gone up her spine. A huge, wide smile crossed her face, she swore it was her biggest smile yet. The Voice had thanked her! It felt like a miracle.

_Oh shut up..._

Aaaand now it was back to normal. Xion couldn't help but giggle.

Her smile faded, and a concerned look crossed her face. " _Alright, now out with it. What's wrong? Why do you keep passing out like that?_ "

_I... I... don't know if I can trust you..._

Xion rolled her eyes. " _Guess I'll just have to prove to you that you can._ "

Xion returned to Axel, noting her was staring at her peculiarly. "Something wrong?"

He slowly shook his head. "Nothing, just glad your awake. You really had me worried, ya know?"

Xion bowed her head. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

Axel shook his head. "It's fine, c'mon, Saix is going to have a stroke if you miss anymore missions."

Xion giggled a little bit and followed him to the Gray Area.

Saix was waiting there impatiently and glared at her. "It's about time you decided to make yourself useful. The Superior has requested a special mission be made for you, one that Axel will supervise on."

"Eh?" said Axel, "What mission?"

Saix was silent for a moment before closing his eyes and speaking, "The Superior wants one of the newly revived worlds scouted out. You and Xion are to perform recon in Radiant Garden."

Pain.

Horrific pain flared up in Xion's chest at the name of that world, making her lock up, unable to even scream.

_R-radiant G-garden... m-my home..._

Axel crossed his arms. "Huh, been years since I last saw home."

"Until we have our hearts back, that place is just another world to us," said Saix, opening his eyes, "Treat it as such and don't fool around."

"Yeah yeah yeah," said Axel, "I know. Let's go Xion."

Xion couldn't move, still feeling paralyzed.

"Xion?" asked Axel, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Xion took a ragged breath and shook her head. "F-fine, I'm fine. Let's go."

Axel gave her a cautious look, but didn't question her, forming a Dark Corridor and stepping through. Where they came out took her breath away...

They found themselves in an open plaza, surrounded by trees, water fountains leaking down below the plaza, and olden wooden houses. A gate blocked access to a large and tall castle off in the distance. A huge city surrounded them on all sides. There were flowers and decorations everywhere in the central square, as if for some kind of event. At the center of the square was a plaque of sorts, with flowery and little square objects all around it. At the moment, the square seemed empty.

" _This is your home_?" Xion asked the Voice.

_Yes... it's... just as beautiful as I remember it..._

"Huh, wonder what all of this is for," muttered Axel.

He took a cautious peek from behind the tree they were hiding behind, and then walked up to the plaque, Xion following suit.

She glanced down and read it off, "Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and for one day, for those who are lost to return to us. _"  
_

Axel stared at the plaque, a soft look on his face. "Nice to know were missed..."

"Huh?" said Xion.

He pointed at the little square objects, it took Xion a second to recognize them as dozens and dozens of pictures. One in particular caught her eye, it was definitely Axel, a lot younger, with Saix standing behind him. She recognized a few pictures, one for Xaldin, Lexaeus, Vexen, Mesaxn, Xigbar, and Zexion. Not only that, there were pictures of Xifta, Nexol, Xithera, Dxic, Dolucx, Xuffiey, and...

Xion froze as one picture caught her eye. All the strength went out of her knees and she fell to them.

_That's..._

"Woah, Xion? What's wrong?" said Axel, kneeling down next to her.

Xion shakily reached out for the picture and drew it to her. It was of a pretty and smiling little redheaded girl in a white and purple dress holding a flower. She shakily flipped it over, a note on the back: _'My dear sweet granddaughter, I pray that one day the light will bring you back to me'_.

_G-grandma..._

Xion didn't understand it, this deep feeling of longing at the sight of the little girl, the desire to find and be with her. The deep pain she felt at reading those words. She felt something trickle down her cheek, and she reached up to brush at the sensation, coming away with a teardrop. She... was crying...?

"Xion...?" questioned Axel quietly.

_Please... please Xion... find my grandma for me... please... I have to see her..._

The little girl in the picture... she was the Voice in her head... but who? Who was she?

Xion shook her head viciously and shoved Axel away, pocketing the picture and taking off at top speed.

"What the... XION!" yelled Axel.

She rounded the corner and kept on, shoving passed people. Each face was a flicker of pain through her chest. Some seemed familiar to her, as if she had seen them before. They didn't matter though, she had to find her... she _had to find grandma_...

Xion staggered a bit, feeling dizzy, and barreled into someone, clutching her head. "Gnn..."

"Woah, hey, you okay?" came a concerned, slightly familiar voice.

"Fine," she murmured.

She briefly caught sight of a boy with silver hair and offered him a quick apology. She found it slightly curious when his mouth dropped at the sight of her face, looking dumbstruck, but she paid him no mind. She kept on going.

_Wait... was that...?_

Xion didn't pay the Voice any attention this time. She had to find this 'grandma', if she did, she could finally get answers. She wandered aimlessly, desperately, to no avail. She didn't find anyone she deeply recognized. Dammit, where would she be?

She wandered off, and soon found herself in a reactor like area, on a see through platform. "Grr... she's not here either."

"And who, exactly, are you looking for?" came a slightly familiar voice.

She turned and spotted the boy she had accidentally bumped into earlier. Looking at him fully, she felt... like she knew him from somewhere. He bore silver hair down to his neck. His eyes were a serious blue, his face calm but focused. He bore a tight yellow sleeveless shirt with a brown X shape coming down from the collar. He had rather strong arms. His bottom half bore a blue hakama, connecting his two halves was a belt with a symbol that she reflexivly associated with the Keyblade. On his hands he had black gloves, a little below his wrists, brown bands.

He... he was...

"Riku," she whispered in a dual voice, one sounding like her own, one sounding like the girl from her memory flashes.

Riku paused at that, his eyes going slightly wide, before he masked it. The boy took a few steps forward and stopped, looking her over from head to toe.

"Black coat, a Nobody, looks and feels like Kairi," murmured the boy, "You must be Xion."

Xion blinked a few times. "You... know me? And wait, people have said I look like this 'Kairi' person before, but I feel like her too?"

Riku said nothing, a frown on his face, staring at her chest. For a reason Xion couldn't figure out, she started to feel a little awkward and uncomfortable at where he was staring.

_Where the heck do you think you're staring at Riku?  
_

Riku narrowed his eyes. "So that's it. That's what Xehanort said when he said that to Sora."

Xion grew confused. "Said what?"

Her eyes went wide when he summoned a Keyblade with a gold handle and a silver blade length. "You're coming with me back to the Masters."

Xion took a step back and summoned her own Keyblade.

Riku's jaw dropped. "What? You can use Kairi's Keyblade?"

Xion blinked a few times and glanced down at Oathkeeper. "Kairi's... Keyblade?"

Riku gripped his Keyblade, holding it down from near his shoulder, pointing it at her. "I might not like Kairi, but Sora is my best friend, and she means the world to him, and regardless of that... I wouldn't leave her to rot. I'm bringing you to the Masters to free her from your prison."

_Riku..._

Xion glared at him and gripped Oathkeeper tightly. "What the heck are you talking about?!"

There was no time for words. Riku rushed at her and unleashed a move she instinctively knew as Ars Solumn. She could barely manage to block the blows, pain rocketing up her arms each time. He was so strong...

The final one knocked aside her Keyblade, sliced into her chest, and sent her flying and screaming in pain, Oathkeeper sailing from her hands. She landed and rolled along the ground, the picture she had grabbed earlier falling out of her pocket. She laid on the ground, sobbing in pain.

"Hmph, your not even close to being as strong as her though, guess she's struggling to keep the Organization from getting her power," said Riku dismissively.

Riku started towards her before pausing, kneeling down to pick up the picture. "This... why did steal this from the plaque?"

All Xion could do was gasp out in pain.

Riku walked over and held his Keyblade inches from her face. "Well? Haven't you already taken enough from her?"

"I... feel like I... knew her," whispered Xion, "I want... to find her... to be with her... r... r..."

She didn't understand the words that came out of her mouth, nor the longing associated with them, "Return to her..."

_Xion... what are you saying...?_

Riku stared down at her silently for a moment before moving his Keyblade away from her face. "You don't have a clue, do you Xion?"

She stared up at him through tear stained eyes. "I... who is she? Please?"

Riku was silent for a moment before he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You really don't know? Her name is..."

_Whistle STAB_

Riku cried out in pain and staggered forward, tripping over Xion and collapsing, a chakram embedded in his back, losing his grip on his Keyblade.

"Xion!" came a cry.

She weakly turned her head to see Axel rushing towards her. He cast a quick cure spell and hauled her to her feet and shoved her away from Riku. He stepped forward, fury on his face, and ripped his chakram out of Riku's back. The boy cried out in pain, struggling and trying to reach his Keyblade. Axel raised his chakram into the air, and started to bring it back down...

_NO! STOP HIM PLEASE!_

"Axel! WAIT!" screamed Xion.

Axel froze, his chakram inches from the back of Riku's neck. "Xion?"

"Don't... please don't kill him," she whispered.

Axel frowned, and slowly pulled his weapon back. "The heck not? I don't care if he's a Keybearer, he hurt you Xion!"

"Just... let him go, please?" she begged.

Axel sighed. "Xion... fine."

_X-xion... thank you..._

She nodded absentmindedly to the Voice.

"X-xion...," said Riku.

She glanced at him.

"Can you... feel Kairi?" he asked.

Xion lost all the breath in her body. Her legs turned to jello and she fell to her knees, clutching her head. "K...Kairi...?"

"Riku!" came a man's voice.

Xion turned her head, briefly catching sight of a powerfully built man with brown hair and a brown Keyblade running towards them.

"Oh hell no, I am _NOT_ fighting _THE_ Keyblade master, we're out of here!" said Axel, forming a Dark Corridor and grabbing Xion's hand, tugging her to her feet and through it, into the Gray Area, and slamming into...

"Watch where you're going!" came Saix's voice after the three of them toppled to the floor.

"Sorry, Keybearer trouble, had to go," said Axel, rising to his feet.

Saix scowled and stood up, dusting himself off. "Hmph, I assume the mission was a failure then."

"Eh... ish? I saw a few things of note and... uh... Xion? You okay?" said Axel.

Xion was shaking, clutching her head. Shivers ran down her spine... words echoed in her mind...

' _You can use Kairi's Keyblade?_ '

' _I'm bringing you to the Masters to free her from your prison._ '

' _Haven't you already taken enough from her?_ '

' _You don't have a clue, do you Xion?_ '

' _Can you... feel Kairi?_ '

Can you... feel Kairi?

**Can you... feel Kairi?**

_Xion! Block it out! Xion!?_

Xion moaned and pitched forward, unconscious...


	12. Growing Confusion

Xion slowly opened her eyes and yelped, finding a mouse like woman staring down at her from a high step stool. "Woah!"

It took her a moment to remember who that was. "Umm... hi Mixenin."

The mouse frowned at her and pointed away. "I was about to get around to beginning my examination, he brought you in a few hours ago."

Xion follow her hand, finding herself in the Organization's infirmary, and sighting Axel leaning against a wall, a tired look on his face. The man stared at her silently for a moment before walking over.

"You have to stop scaring me like this Xion," said Axel, a bit vexed.

"Erm... sorry," said Xion sheepishly, "What happened?"

"You collapsed after we got back, guess I didn't heal you enough or something," he muttered, "Taking a Keyblade to the chest has to hurt."

Xion rubbed where she had been cut. "It does..."

But... was that why she had collapsed?

"Well, since you are awake, you are free to go," said Mixenin, hopping down from her stool.

Xion was distracted from her thoughts. "Oh, um, okay."

Axel offered her a hand and she took it, letting him help her up to her feet. "Anyway, gave Saix my report, he says were good to go, mission complete, no worries."

"Oh, that's good," she murmured.

She reached into her pockets, but came up empty. "Damn... that's right, he has the picture now..."

"Picture?" questioned Axel.

Xion shook her head and brushed passed him. "It's nothing."

_You okay Xion?_

She paused briefly, surprised to hear the Voice concerned for her. " _Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking._ "

"So... Xion, wanna go get ice cream?" asked Axel.

She was tempted to say yes, they had finished a mission, but..., "Maybe later..."

Axel went silent for a moment. "Okay..."

"Sorry, I just... need to try and figure some things out," said Xion.

"Alright, I'll check in with you in a bit then," said Axel.

Xion merely nodded and walked away, thinking. For the time being, she was content to let the mystery of the Voice and who she was drop. She had an earlier question to pick back up now, who was Kairi? Riku had said she used Kairi's Keyblade. Why did she have Kairi's Keyblade? Why did she apparently look and feel like her? She had asked Nothing's Watch before, maybe it was time to ask her comrades. Marluxia wasn't exactly forthcoming, so maybe one of the other's had some knowledge of her.

_Xion, why do you want to know who... 'Kairi' is so badly?_

" _I feel like it's important_ ," answered Xion, " _It's like my entire life revolves around the question of who she is. People keep saying I look like her, feel like her, I apparently have her Keyblade. If you hadn't told me I wasn't her, I'd start to think I was._ "

_You're not m... not her... you're Xion._

Xion nodded before teasing, " _I'm Xion huh? What, not going to call me a parasite again?_ "

_I'm... sorry..._

Xion flinched a little. " _Don't worry about it, I was just teasing, you don't have to feel bad. I'm just glad were okay now. We are, right?_ "

_Yeah... I guess..._

Xion paused her conversation, spotting Zexion walking down the hall with a book open in his hands. "Oh, Zexion!"

The man paused and turned. "Number Thirteen, up and about I see."

She walked up to him and nodded. "Yep. Umm... can I ask you a question?"

"Ask," replied Zexion.

"Do... you know anything about a girl named Kairi?" asked Xion.

Zexion frowned briefly. "I know of her. She is a keybearer who disappeared at the end of the Heartless Apocalypse, but my familiarity ends there."

"Oh...," said Xion, a little disappointed.

He thought for a moment. "I might... have seen her once as a child, in the castle at Radiant Garden."

"Radiant Garden? Did she live there too?" asked Xion.

"I believe so. Perhaps you should ask one of the others, try Xaldin," said Zexion, focusing down on his book and walking away.

"Okay, thanks!" she called after him before heading off herself.

Xaldin huh?

_Can't say he seems familiar..._

Xion shrugged. " _We'll see._ "

Xion made for the gray area and took a quick look around. Xaldin and Lexaeus talking quietly near a corner. Luxord and Xigbar sitting at a table playing a card game.

Xion walked over to Xaldin. "Umm, excuse me."

Xaldin turned to look at her, frowning. "What is it number thirteen? We're busy."

"Umm... do you, do either of you, know anything about a girl named Kairi?" she asked.

Xaldin frowned. "Kairi. Keybearer, fourteen or fifteen years old by this time. Formerly located within Traverse Town before its fall, afterwords she was rescued and taken to be trained and housed with the Keybearer's at the Land of Departure. We kept loose watch on her during her time with the Keybearers, Vexen I believe was the last to see her before she disappeared."

Xion absorbed the information. "Hmm... and what about before Traverse Town? Zexion said he might have seen her at a castle in Radiant Garden?"

Xaldin's eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Do you remember Xaldin, ten years ago, about a month or so before our world was swallowed in darkness. An old woman knocked on the castle gates asking for help for an unconscious child and woman?" asked Lexaeus.

Xaldin tilted his head. "Now that you mention it, that faintly rings a bell. If I recall, wasn't that woman the somebody of..."

Laxaeus nodded. "Yes, that's her."

Xion looked back and forth. "Who...?"

Xaldin refocused on Xion. "If I recall, the child's name was Kairi. She and an unknown woman were taken to the palace infirmary to be tended to and to rest. My knowledge of that incident ends there. Begone."

"But...," began Xion.

Xaldin turned away from her.

Xion pouted a bit before turning and leaving. She paused at the door, noting that Xigbar was watching her with his one eye, a smirk on his face. She hesitated briefly before walking over to him.

"Umm...," she began.

"I heard your question kiddo, but first, go ask Vexen, he should be in the Round Room last I checked, afterwords, come and tell me what he said," said Xigbar, his grin spreading.

"Umm, okay?" she said, a little confused.

She walked off and made for the Round Room, pausing when she saw Vexen walking out of it. "Vexen."

He walked over and looked her over, a faint smirk on his face. "Good to see you up number thirteen, I like what you've 'done' with your hair."

She grew confused. "Huh?"

_I don't know, maybe you have pillow hair or something?_

Xion brushed the comment aside. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Most certainly," said Vexen.

"Who is Kairi?" she asked.

Vexen blinked a few times, a cautious look entering his eyes. "Why do you ask about her?"

"People have been saying I look and feel like her," said Xion.

Vexen shrugged and grew dismissive. "It's most likely a coincidence Xion, pay it no heed."

"I'm not sure it is," said Xion.

"Xion, drop the subject," warned Vexen, "Kairi was a useful tool for the Organization, nothing more. You, will be far her superior when you reach the pinnacle of your power. Forget about her, she's destined to simply fade away."

_Grr... he knows, he fucking knows._

" _Knows what?_ " Xion asked.

_Don't trust a thing that he says Xion._

Xion was more than aware the Voice had avoided the question, and was a bit miffed by it, but, decided to listen. "Very well."

Vexen seemed pleased with her deference. "If that is all, I'll be on my way."

She made no comment and watched him go, feeling frustrated. It felt like half the people in the Core Organization didn't take her seriously, lied to her, hid things from her, or wanted to use her for something. Axel and Larxene were the only two she felt she could really trust. Luxord, Xigbar, and Mesexn were about the only ones she didn't have an honest feel on. She didn't think Luxord would know anything about Kairi, but... oh right! Xigbar!

She started back towards the Gray Area, only to find Xigbar waiting for her outside. "C'mon kiddo, let's go talk, privately."

She followed him back to his room and waited patiently as he closed the door behind him.

"Well? What did Vexen say?" asked Xigbar.

"He didn't really answer the question, said it was a coincidence and told me to drop it," answered Xion.

Xigbar smirked. "Do you believe him?"

"No," she answered.

"Good answer," he said.

He cracked his neck to the left and then to the right. "Alright then, I think it's about time we start getting things back on track. This train jumped the track about ten years ago, I aim to see it get back on course kiddo, and you're gonna help me do it. After all, I still want what was promised to me."

She stared at him, utterly lost. "Huh?"

Xigbar grinned. "Kiddo, summon your Keyblade for a sec."

She did so.

He tapped it. "Do you know whose Keyblade this is?"

"I was told it was Kairi's," she answered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Already know?"

"Yeah, I was um... attacked by a Keybearer named Riku," she answered.

Xigbar made a tsking sound. "Gotta stay away from them kiddo, they ain't your friends anymore than most of the Organization is."

Xion grew uneasy. "Umm..."

Xigbar knelt down. "Kiddo, listen closely, and listen well. There are a lot of things within the Organization that have gone on behind closed doors. A few of them revolve around you and Kairi, and they ain't good. They're lying straight to your face. If you wanna know more about who Kairi is, and why you have her Keyblade, why don't you go ask Aqua? I've seen you hanging with her when I was on my shift to watch her."

"Aqua? She knows Kairi?" asked Xion.

Xigbar formed a Dark Corridor. "Go find out kiddo."

She nodded and moved to walk through it, pausing briefly when she heard Xigbar chuckle. "Things are about to get interesting..."

Xion walked through the corridor and found herself outside the Twilight Town Mansion. Rather than immediately walk up to it, she brought her hand up to her chin to rub in thought. What was up with Xigbar?

_I... don't honestly know. I know nothing about him. I don't know what his angle is, but, he seems set against Vexen, and Xehanort by association, so I'd be more willing to trust him._

Xion nodded and walked up to the door and knocked. It opened a few minutes later, revealing Olette. The girl squeeled in delight and wrapped her in a hug.

"There you are Xion!" said Olette, "I've been worried about you!"

Xion hugged the girl back. "Sorry, um, is Aqua in?"

Olette scowled. "Aww come on, let's talk for a bit! Why were you in bed for so long and..."

"Olette," said Xion sternly, "This is important. I'm not here for ice cream or to chat."

Olette paused before she separated, frowning. "Okay... she's in the side room drinking tea, come."

Xion followed her into the room. Aqua's eyes briefly flickered to her, and then motioned to a chair.

Xion sat down. "Aqua, I have a question for you. It's important."

Aqua set down her tea. "What is it?"

"Do you know a girl named Kairi?" she asked.

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"

Xion blinked a few times. "Uh... what? I'm Xion, not Kairi."

Aqua studied Xion briefly. "You resemble Kairi, greatly, are you sure you are not her Nobody? I was under that assumption when I first saw you. I figured that you got yourself killed foolishly fighting my Heartless and created a Nobody."

_Oh you little... grr..._

Xion hesitated, feeling uncertain. "I'm... not sure... I don't remember anything from before I woke up, but... I don't think so... yet..."

"Did you... see the Keyblade Kairi had by chance?" asked Xion.

"I did," answered Aqua.

_Xion, don't..._

Xion ignored her, summoned Oathkepper, and set it on the table. "Was it this one?"

Aqua stared at it for a moment, a briefly confused look crossing her face. "Yes, but why do you have it?"

Xion shook her head. "I don't know, I'm trying to figure that out."

"Maybe Kairi gave it to you?" suggested Olette.

Xion shook her head. "I've never met her, I just woke up and was able to use it."

Aqua pondered her response. "Strange, but either way, whether you are Kairi or not, you, as a Nobody, should not be able to use a Keyblade."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Xion.

"Because I can't use mine," answered Aqua, "From what I can figure, one needs a heart to summon a Keyblade."

Xion stared at her, dumbstruck. "A... heart?"

Aqua nodded. "From what little I understand and remember, the Keyblade is drawn to the power of one's heart. If you do not have a heart inside of you, or are at least not connected somehow to a heart of someone chosen, you should not be able to use it."

Xion looked down at herself, bringing a hand to her chest and whispered quietly, "Do... I have a heart then?"

"Xion?" questioned Olette quietly, "Are you okay?"

Xion banished her troubled thoughts and refocused, she could deal with _THAT_ implication later. "I'm fine. Aqua, what exactly do you know about Kairi?"

Aqua stared at her, silently, eyes furrowed.

"Aqua?" questioned Xion.

"I know what she and Sora told me, whether it is the truth or not, I do not know," answered Aqua.

"I don't think they were lying," said Olette.

Aqua took another sip of tea before setting it down. "I was told that, as a whole person, I had saved Kairi's life once, nearly dying in the process because of previous damage to my heart. She told me I preformed the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony on her and then left. Some time before I first met you, Olette came to me yelling about Marluxia attacking people. I went to the woods and discovered Kairi and Sora being attacked by him. I ordered Marluxia to leave, brought the two young Keybearer's here, and questioned them about my Somebody's life."

Xion's eyes went wide. Marluxia had fought Kairi?! Could she even trust him then if he had attacked her?

_Probably not, he's a scheming weasel._

"Does that satisfy your question?" asked Aqua.

"No... I mean, kind of? It sort of raises more questions," said Xion sheepishly.

Aqua made a none-committal hum and resumed drinking her tear.

Xion stared down at the table silently for a moment before raising to her feet. "Thanks for answering my question..."

"Gonna go get ice cream now?" teased Olette.

Xion didn't have the heart to answer. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Huh? Why? I wanted to have ice cream with you guys," said Olette, pouting.

"She has been waiting for you, for a week now, you should go with her," added in Aqua, her eyes slightly narrowing.

Xion met her gaze unflinching. "I'm sorry, but I've got a lot to think about."

Aqua blinked a few times, almost appearing surprised she had stood up to her demand. "I see."

"It's okay, can we have ice cream tomorrow then?" asked Olette.

"Sure," said Xion.

Olette held out a pinky. "Make it a promise!"

_Oh wow, I haven't done one of those since I was a little girl._

Xion stared at it, confused. "Huh?"

Olette seemed flabbergasted for a moment. "You've never done a pinky promise before?"

"Umm, no?" said Xion sheepishly.

"Hook your pinky around mine, then shake and say 'it's a promise," instructed Olette.

Xion smiled a little, finding it a little fun, and did so. "It's a promise."

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" said Olette.

Xion gave a faint goodbye and took a Dark Corridor right to her room. She stared at her bed silently, raising a hand to her chest.

"Do I... have a heart?" she questioned, "If I do... am I really a Nobody?"

_Does it matter? You are who you are. You are Xion._

"It does matter," she said quietly, "It means... if it's true... I've been lied to since day one."

_Xion, if there is one thing I cannot press enough, is that you cannot trust Xehanort. He is pure evil. He has ruined so many people's lives._

Xion walked to the window and stared up at Kingdom Hearts silently. "Hmm."

_Xion... if... you make me a promise, and follow through with it. I promise I'll tell you everything, okay?_

That caught her attention. "What promise?"

_Promise to stop Xehanort, whatever he's planning, stop him._

"But... if he's going to use Kingdom Hearts to restore everyone's hearts, then...," she began.

_Do you think he's honestly going to use it to help people other than himself?_

Xion bit her lip. "I... I don't know."

_Think on it Xion. Stop Xehanort, prove to me that your not his puppet, and you'll have my trust._

"You're... asking an awful lot of me Miss Voice," said Xion, "Because if you're wrong, I'll be the one ruining people's lives, not him. If your wrong, then I'll be throwing everything that I have away."

_Sleep on it then, think it over._

Xion sighed and laid down on her bed, feeling utterly lost and confused, wondering who she could actually trust in...

* * *


	13. The Witch's Folly

Xion laid in bed the next morning, staring up at the ceiling silently. A night to rest and thinking on it hadn't done her any good. She was just as lost and confused as yesterday. She couldn't just do this blindly, she needed to learn more, figure more things out. Though... technically she had already made this promise already, just to Marluxia instead of the Voice... oops...

She slowly shook her head and rose from bed, leaving to go to the Gray Area...

She was suprised when Saix met her half way. "Number Thirteen, there is a mission of utmost priority that has just come in. The others have left already on their own missions, leaving it to you."

She blinked a few times. "Um, okay? What is it?"

"Dusk scouts have reported odd creatures attacking Somebodies in a world called the Land of Dragons. You are to go there, investigate, and report back what you see. Do not engage, are we clear?" asked Saix.

Xion nodded. "Okay, you think it's Heartless?"

Saix scowled. "If it were Heartless, the dusks would have told us. They may not be as intelligent as us humanoid Nobodies, but they are not stupid."

He opened a Dark Corridor for her. "Now go."

Xion walked through, coming out on a snowy mountain top and...

She froze. A chill ran down her spine, a tremor running down her hand, a tight pain filling her chest.

_What is that feeling?! Wait... this is just like at Aurora's ruined castle... Xion... we... we can't be here!_

Xion took in a labored breath and shook her head, spotting smoke off in the distance. "Someone might need our help!"

_Xion! You were told not to fight, just... just get us out of here!_

Xion narrowed her eyes. " _I didn't think you were a coward_."

_Xion! Something's NOT right! I can feel it!_

Xion brushed it off and walked down the mountain, heading for the smoke and...

She paused at a terrified scream, and then took off running. What she came across stole her breath away, and not in a good way. A town was burning, and there were creatures unlike anything she had ever seen chasing down it's inhabitants...

She locked onto the nearest one. It looked... like a deformed mixture between a dusk and a shadow. One arm was long and sharp like a dusk's, the other small like a shadows. The dusk's mask half covered it's face before melting into shadow, revealing a singular pulsing yellow beady eye. It's legs were uneven, one long and thing, one short and stubby, giving it a wobbly walk...

But upon it's forehead...

Was a symbol that sent awful chills down Xion's spine, and fear racing through every part of her body...

It was like a mixture of the Heartless and Nobody symbol, except horrifically disturbing. It was like the spiked Nobody symbol had been speared through the Heartless one, splitting it open. The two halves of the heartless symbol were impaled on the two pointed spikes on either side. A sickly black liquid seemed to coat the parts of the Heartless symbol, and the bottom part of the Nobody symbol, like black blood. On the top spike of the Nobody part of the symbol was a red chain, like an X, connecting the two halves of the ripped apart heart forcibly together, preventing it from falling apart, like a prison.

_By the light... what IS that?_

Xion watched, terrorstruck, as the creature chased down a fleeing woman, leaping after her and tripping her with it's long arm. It grabbed her and flipped her over before drawing it's arm back and thrusting it into her chest. The woman screamed in pain as the creature ripped her heart of her chest. It held up the heart and let loose a scream that drove a spike of agony through Xion's chest. She fell to a knee, gasping for breath.

She watched, horrified, as the woman's heart split open and darkness spilled out of it, wrapping around it. The creature shoved the heart back into the woman's chest, and then she began to scream and deform before Xion's eyes, slowly turning into a malformed mockery of what she once looked like. Xion took one look at it, and let out a scream of fear.

The two creatures turned and looked at her before releasing awful screams and charging for her.

_XION! RUN!_

Xion needed no further motivation. She turned and booked it as fast as she could.

_Just make a Dark Corridor and GO!_

Xion aimed a hand forward, ready to make one and dive through it... but... nothing happened! What the heck?!

A dark, sinister chuckle sounded out. "My my my, what do we have here?"

A barrier of black and gray energy sprang up in front of Xion, blocking off her escape path. She whirled to see the two creatures had stopped chasing her, and were standing there staring at her hungrily, yellow eyes filled with pain.

_Thud... thud... thud..._

Xion watched as a creature slowly walked to them. It looked to be a great horned woman. Out of the back of her head sprouted four horns, two black, two gray, intermingling and twisting. Her face was deathly pale, a hint of green and gray to it. Her eyes were glowing yellow, like a Heartless. Her lips, black as night. All through her face were gray glowing lines, almost like the ones dusks had. Wrapped around her was a gray and black full body cloak, with red twisted through it like bloody veins. One arm looked almost normal, a pale grayish hand with a ring on it that bore the awful symbol gripped a bladed-staff with a gray and black orb at the top of it. Her other other looked completely engulfed in shadow, pitch black, like a heartless. It emanated an aura of shadow that made Xion's skin scrawl. The woman's entire presence was awful, and literally painful for Xion to feel.

"If my senses do not deceive me, I feel the heart of a Keybearer," said the horned woman, stepping between the two creatures.

"W-who are you?" said Xion, her legs shaking.

The woman grinned a sinister grin. "I am Maleficent, leader of the Ascended. I was not expecting to encounter a Keybearer so soon..."

She studied her before slowly extending a hand. "I'll make you an offer child, join me."

Xion flinched away.

Maleficent chuckled. "You seem fearful, but there is nothing to fear. If you are concerned about becoming like... these lesser Ascended, fear not. Those of strong will retain their form, those who have both strong will and heart retain both form and thought, like myself. Surely a Keybearer would as well, don't you agree?"

_X-xion... w-we need to g-get out of here..._

" _How!?_ " demanded Xion

_I... I don't know... I just... I've never... been so scared... not even Aqua's Heartless... made me feel like this..._

"Will you accept?" asked Maleficent.

Xion summoned Oathkeeper. "N-no!"

Maleficent made a tsking sound. "Unfortunate. I had been hoping you would be willing, but alas, recruitment is none-negotiable. All will ascend."

Maleficent pointed at her. "Take and turn her."

The two ascended screamed and charged at Xion.

_FIGHT!_

"I know!" yelled Xion aloud, diving away from one creature and swiping her keyblade to block an attack from another.

She screamed in pain the moment her Keyblade came in contact with the creature, feeling awful pain spike through her arm and into her chest. The Voice cried out with her as well.

_D-don't touch them! Even with the Keyblade! U-use the light! Use Shock!_

Xion back away and aimed her Keyblade. "Shock!"

Light erupted at the creature and detonated, blowing it back. She was stunned when the ascended rose to it's feet, barely damage.

_Oh wow... uh... they're tough... they're... really tough..._

The other one screamed and leaped at her while she was staring at the former. She barely managed to bring her keyblade up to block. She cried out in pain as the creature hit her keyblade, driving her back and to the ground. It raised an arm into the air, ready to drive it down...

_XION! USE MY POWER!_

Xion gave a startled gasp as pure, raw, energy, flooded out of her chest and into the rest of her body. Light rippled out of Xion and blasted the creature off her in a bright explosion. When it cleared, she felt something in her other hand...

She gave a startled gasp to see a second Keyblade in her other hand. It was white and black, with a checkered handle. It had a pure black guard, with the symbol of a heart connecting the handle and the blade. There were several spikes shooting out of the guard to ward off someone else trying to grab it. The blade part looked actually more like a sword than the two Keyblade's she had seen up to this point. It's end was a twisted blade, spiking off behind it. Yet... there was something wrong with it. It looked cracked, broken, incomplete, a rusty faint glow within the blade itself, making it look dim.

It... it was... it's name...

Two-Become One.

She didn't know how she knew it, but she did. Yet... it did not look like it's name sake, it's conflicted broken look didn't seem right...

"Two Keyblades?" came Maleficent's voice, curious.

_It's... our strength... Xion... use it..._

Xion rose to her feet, feeling an unusual and hardened determination. She blitzed the ascended creature, both keyblades glowing with light, dragging along the snowy ground. She leaped at it and swung both Keyblade's at once. The pain she felt at her Keyblade's touching the monster lasted only a second before they severed it's head from it's shoulders. The creature, to her surprise, let out a sigh of relief as it died, it's body dissolving into darkness, it's ruptured heart flying out and fading into the air.

"I... I did it! I beat one!" she exclaimed.

"Hmph, congratulations are in order I suppose. Pete dear? Would you handle this?" came Maleficent's voice.

_SCREAM_

Xion turned to see a blur surging at her. She barely had time to register a large man-like thing coming at her. One leg was that of a Heartless, one of a Nobody, it's arms were the same. It had a twisted, adjoined face, one half being a mouse, the other being a Heartless. It's chest was a mixture of armor, and the black skin of a Heartless. On it's chest, the awful ascended symbol.

Xion raised her blades to block as it surged at her and thrust a punch at her...

She screamed.

She screamed as she had never screamed before as it bashed aside her defenses, pushed right passed her Keyblades and slammed a fist into her chest. Her eyes bulged, all the breath left her body, pain lit every ounce of her, and in her chest, where her heart should be, screamed in agony. She flew through the air and landed in a heap, her vision turning black...

_Xion? Get up! Xion!_

Xion took one ragged breath before her head tilted back and she closed her eyes, pain overtaking her, and a dark twisted feeling starting to spread through her chest...

* * *

Kairi stood, on a platform, her dive to heart, wrapped in a sickly black prison, watching the event happening outside of the body she was trapped in with utter dread.

"XION!" screamed Kairi.

She watched, horrified, as Xion went still. She could see everything from her prison within Xion's chest, the girl's parasitical body holding her there to slowly leech off her. She was dumbstruck to see, to feel, the the prison begin to wither and die around her. She knew what it meant. Xion... Xion had taken the entirety of that blow... unknowingly for the both of them...

Xion's own fledgling heart... one that had been slowly forming, feeding off of Kairi's to grow, couldn't stand up to that kind of pain, that kind of devastation, that the creature inflicted. Kairi could feel it rupturing, dying...

She watched, as from the darkened skies, descended a manifestation of Xion, landing on her back, her eyes closed, in the middle of the platform. She walked over and knelt down, worried. She could feel it, the girl's heart trying to keep itself together, drawing on Kairi's to stop itself from splitting open and turning into one of those creatures. It wasn't enough... it would buy the girl only a short time...

And if Xion turned into one of those creatures... Kairi would go with her...

She sucked in a breath as something struck her. The prison, it was dying, and Xion had been forced... asleep... so did that mean she could...?

Kairi focused her efforts and pushed at it as hard as she could manage in her weakened state. With the prison decaying, and Xion's consciousness fading, she broke through...

* * *

Kairi coughed and gasped, blinking a few times and sitting up.

"Oh, you took that blow rather well child," came Maleficent's mocking voice.

Kairi glanced down at her hands, at Xion's hands, at the two Keyblades, and gripped them tightly. She could do this... she could save herself, no, save _them_.

_SCREAM!_

Her eyes flickered up to see Pete charging her. She rolled and sprung to her feet. She could feel the drain and pressure on her heart start immediately. Her heart had not recovered even a fraction of the energy she needed to consciously control a body and stay awake, especially with Xion drawing on her to survive. Her time was limited. She either won and got out of here within a few minutes at best, or it was over.

"No games, witch," she snarled out.

She dug a foot into the ground and used it to spin. " ** _LIGHT_**!"

She unleashed Salvation, sending light ripping through the air in all directions. Pete and Maleficent both cried out in pain, being driven back by the intense light. She leaped at the witch and stabbed her Keyblades into the ground, releasing Stock Break. The witch was thrown back and landed in a heap. Immediately, Kairi felt for it, for the darkness between worlds. She used Xion's power and tried to open a corridor, she was pleased when it worked. The Witch had probably been personally disrupting the pathways. She dove through without a word, coming out in the empty remade Traverse Town.

She collapsed to the ground, wheezing, her Keyblade's vanishing, clutching her chest painfully. "Oh... it... it hurts so much..."

She weakly struggled to get to her feet. She was out of immediate danger from the creatures, but the wound was still there. She needed to do something, and she needed to do something _FAST_. Xion wouldn't last long, and neither would she. She needed something to heal the devastating wound. If the Princesses of Heart were all gathered, she figured they'd be able to heal the damage, but they weren't. They were all back in the original worlds save for Aurora, Kairi figured she was probably still at the Land of Departure. She didn't think one Princess would be able to stop this long enough for the other's to be fetched to help.

So what was left then? She needed something, _ANYTHING_ with extreme light...

Wait...

Her eyes lit up. "The Cornerstone of Light..."

She hesitated briefly, uncertainty filling her. She remembered how strange the object had made her feel, yet, she remembered the other half of the sensation. The desire to take in it's light...

There was no other choice. Either she went to the Cornerstone and absorbed it, or she and Xion died. She imagined the Cornerstone Chamber in her mind, and tried to open a portal to it. She was surprised when it was blocked, she felt it's light rebuff the little darkness Xion had in her heart, refusing entry. She tried again, focusing her light alongside the darkness, and was surprised when a door of light instead opened and she was pulled through by tendrils of light.

She landed before the Cornerstone. She glanced up at it, at the large swirling orb of light resting on a pedestal. Just like before, it's light began to swirl and condense towards her, as if begging for her touch. This time, she didn't deny it. She staggered to her feet, ignoring the dizzying warmth emanating from it, took a step forward, and placed both hands on the Cornerstone.

_SHATTER_

The Cornerstone exploded in a nova of light and glass, yet, did not damage her. The light swirled around Kairi, around Xion's body, as if searching for a way in. It rushed at her, through her chest, and poured into her heart. Kairi gasped as light rippled through her heart, fully restoring her power and energy back to her strength before Aqua's Heartless had tried to consume her, and then soaring far beyond it. This light... it was unlike anything she had ever wielded before... only the overwhelming light of Kingdom Heart's could obviously rival it.

She focused as the light continued to pour into her, using it to mend Xion's damaged fledgling heart. She smiled, content, and raised her hands into the air, lost in the sensation and warmth of the Cornerstone's light, until it all had been absorbed into her heart. Slowly, she lowered her hands, breathing in and out.

"Wow...," was all she could say.

So much strength and power... it was insane... what's more. She was healed, she was restored. If she went back to the Land of Departure, to her body, she could wake up right now. She flexed her grip, tightening her gloves. Then, she could go smash Xehanort's skull in. No need to get Xion involved in it...

Because...

Truthfully, Xion had... nothing personal to do with it, as much as Kairi had used to refuse to admit it. Xion... was born to be a parasite, born to kill her and consume her heart, taking it for her own. Yet, the girl had refused to do so. She had refused to kill her, sleeping for a week to try and help her recover. It had... shocked Kairi, to finally come to terms with what Xion had been created to do VS who Xion actually was. Xion... was not a monster, not an evil creature hell bent on intentionally leeching her memories and power...

Though, she was a bit grudging in admitting that. There were not words to express the terror of waking up day by day, missing more of her memories and power, struggling to try to hold onto them...

She shook her head and scolded herself. "Enough. Just... pull yourself away from her heart and head home."

She closed her eyes and focused inwardly, frowning as she noticed all the sudden how intertwined their hearts had become, Xion's fledgling one snaking through Kairi's whole one, wrapping around it like the parasite she had accused the girl of being, even if she didn't want or mean to. It made her uneasy... when had that happened?

Kairi focused her light, and tried to pull them apart...

She froze as Xion screamed in the back of her head, screamed a scream that only the one she had let loose after Pete had hit her could rival. Immediately Kairi stopped, confused and bewildered. What was going on? Why the pain? Why were they so intertwined? Wait... oh no... oh no no no...

It hit her then. By allowing Xion full access to her heart and power to fight the ascended, she had lowered her defenses, allowing Xion's body begin to truly fulfill it's purpose, to absorb and consume her heart. Not just nibbling away and working at her defenses, no, she had let it in. Her heart and Xion's had become intertwined, snaked within one another, partially merged in a feast, driven by the design to consume. If she ripped her heart away from Xion's fledgling one, could the girl survive it? Or even survive on her own?

She anxiously ran a hand through her hair. "What am I supposed to do?"

She glance down at Xion's hands, trembling. "I... I... have to make a choice..."

It was either strip her heart away and potentially kill Xion... or... be consumed and killed by her...

She closed her eyes, tears starting to well up, as she reached inside and gripped their hearts, ready to rip them apart...

And...

And...

She...

She sobbed and let go, falling to her knees. "I can't... I can't do it. I can't kill an innocent person..."

Xion had no choice in her birth, and what she was created to do. Xion had tried to be nice, and comfort her all this time. Xion had been treating her family and friends well, and had even started to worm her way into Aqua's Nobody's 'heart', as much as the cold woman refused to show it, Kairi could still 'feel it'. Could she really kill Xion for her own sake? Take her life away from the girl before she truly had a chance to live it? No... she... couldn't... as much as she wanted to live, she would never murder someone innocent to do so...

"I envy you Xion," whispered Kairi bitterly, "I wish I could have had what you have now. The love and care of my family and friends looking forward to the future, my Master's friendship..."

"I guess... I'll have to entrust them to you," said Kairi sorrowfully, choking a bit, "Help them regrow their hearts, help them become who they once were and move on..."

Her mind drifted at that thought. What she had been trying to reject, despite the evidence stockpiling for it. Anyone Xion deeply interacted with, showed care for, showed signs of a burgeoning replacement. A body without a heart was an unnatural thing, she figured, that once gone, a body would try to replace it the first chance it got. Once born, a new fledgling heart could be nurtured. She had literally seen and felt it between Xokie and Garnet. Between Xion and the others, it was even deeper, especially with Axel. Perhaps... it was because of what Xion was, a replica of a Princess of Heart, did the power of a Princess help heal a missing heart faster than normal?

It made her wonder... did growing a heart naturally apply to Xion as well? How much of her heart had been made by leeching off hers? And how much had been born and molded out of her interactions with others?

She supposed it didn't matter at this point, for once Xion... ate her... she'd be a complete person anyway...

Kairi took a raged breath. "Xion... I'll... watch over you and help out as best I can, like a big sister I guess, until... the process... is complete and I'm... gone."

Kairi closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her face. "I guess... you'll be my living legacy, and, maybe you'll be better than me, and with my power... especially with the Cornerstone... you can stop Xehanort."

She nodded. "Yeah... as long as she stops Xehanort... I... I'll be content to go... that... that'll be worth it... right? It... it has to be..."

She sobbed quietly before aiming a hand forward, imaged Xion's bedroom in her mind, created a dark corridor, and walked through. She laid down on the bed before pulling her consciousness back to her heart and dive, and shoving Xion's back to the front...


	14. Betrayals

Xion gave a groan and opened her eyes. "W-where...?"

_Good to see you awake Xion, I'd say good morning, but uh, it's only been a few hours since we got back, I think it's noon or something._

Xion blinked a few times, surprised both by the warm greeting, and the energy behind the Voice's words, though, she noted their was a pained edge to them for some reason. " _Oh, um, thanks._ "

Her eyes furrowed. "What... happened? The last thing I remember..."

She shivered, fear at the memory of those creatures bit at her. "T-those things..."

_I uh... got us away from them._

Xion blinked a few times. " _Y-you did? You... came and saved me?_ "

_Yep! Figured I owed you for letting me rest. No big deal._

Xion smiled warmly, her face turning a little red. " _Aww... thanks, I... really owe you one._ "

_Nah, it's fine I... tsss oww..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. " _Miss Voice? You okay?_ "

_Y-yeah, just starting to hurt a little more than I thought it would..._

" _Huh? What hurts?_ " she asked.

_N-nothing..._

Xion crossed her arms. " _Miss Voice... what's wrong_?"

_I said it's nothing!_

She flinched a little at the tone. " _O-okay..._ "

_Xion... I'm sorry for yelling, but... uh... don't you have a mission report to go give?_

Xion was more than aware the Voice was circumventing the issue, but decided to let it drop for now. She spotted Axel and Larxene talking to one another on a couch and walked over to them.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Hey Xion, whats... up?" said Axel before giving her a confused look, "What the heck?

Larxene stood up and approached her, reaching up and grabbing a bit of Xion's hair. "You get into a thing of hair dye or something?"

"Huh?" said Xion, confused.

Larxene pulled a pocket mirror out and handed it to her.

"Pff, of course she has a mirror, woman," said Axel under his breath.

Larxene turned and kicked his shin. "Shut up."

Xion flipped open the mirror and gave a startled gasp, bringing a hand up to her hair. "What in the world..."

The middle center of her hair had gone red, and there were red streaks starting to grow through the rest of her hair. She lowered her hand to her face, examining it. She seemed... a little more hardened and rough, less soft and cheery. What was going on?

"And... what the heck?" said Larxene, a confused look coming over her face, "You... feel different, stronger even..."

Axel stood up and walked over. "You feeling okay Xion?"

"Umm... yeah, I feel great actually, all things considered after that mission," she said.

Axel's eyebrows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Number thirteen," came Saix's voice, "Did you complete your mission?"

Xion turned to see Saix standing in the doorway. "Yes, um... I think... I need to talk to the Superior."

Saix frowned. "Why? What did you see?"

"Those things... they looked like some kind of horrible mix between Heartless and Nobodies," said Xion.

Saix frowned intently. "What?"

"You serious?" said Axel's voice.

"Uh... what?" said Larxene, "The hell do you mean? Wouldn't that make them a full person if the heart and the body were ya know, put back together?"

Xion shook her head. "No... there wasn't anything 'whole' about it. Just being near them hurt, made me feel awful. Getting hit by them, or even hitting them with my keyblade, hurt."

Saix mulled over her words for a moment before motioning to the door. "Very well, report directly to the Superior, this is a matter that requires his direct attention."

Xion nodded and left, making for the round room.

_Xion, don't tell him about me, or your second Keyblade, okay?_

" _Umm, okay, how am I supposed to explain me surviving then?_ " she asked.

_Don't mention you got hit, just say that you got a hit off on Maleficent that stopped her from disrupting Dark Corridors and then fled._

" _Alright,_ " she answered.

Xion walked into the Gray Room, noting the Superior and Vexen being the only ones there. To be honest, she was starting to wonder if those two lived in those chairs, she had rarely seen them out of them.

The two of them paused speaking to stare down at her, or more specifically if she saw right, her hair. The grins that spread across their faces set her ill at ease. Did they know why her hair was changing colors?

"What brings you to us today young Xion?" asked the Superior.

"A mission report sir," she answered.

The Superior waved his hand. "Saix handles those, be off to him."

"Sir, he sent me to you, it's important," said Xion.

The Superior frowned and slowly brought his hands down to rest on the arms of his throne. "Speak then."

Xion took a deep breath and slowly let it before telling them of the creatures she encountered. Of the awful sensations that emanated from them, the horrifying symbol, their unnatural fused bodies. She told them of the great horned woman, Maleficent, and then lied as the Voice had instructed about her escape. The two men stared at her, severe expressions on their faces.

Vexen rubbed his chin, unease and alarm on his face. "Superior, if these are what I think they are, they may be a severe threat."

The Superior nodded and pointed to the thirteenth throne. "Sit Xion. Vexen, go fetch the rest of the Core Organization, now."

Vexen vanished in a warp of black energy. Xion walked over to her throne and jumped up, taking her seat. It was only the second time she had actually sat in this thing and...

She gave a small yelp when the throne rose a bit off the floor, coming to just under Xigbar's twelfth throne.

"I believe such due diligence is to be rewarded Xion," came the Superior's voice, "Continue to serve the Organization well, and you will continue to gain in status and influence."

Xion said nothing at that. She didn't honestly care about such things.

_WARP_

One by one, the entire Core Organization started warping onto their thrones until they were all there.

The Superior leveled his gaze upon Xion. "Repeat what you told me to our comrades. They will be silent, and save questions, until you have finished."

Xion did so. After she did, a heavy an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"Maleficent huh?" murmured Xigbar, "I remember that old bat."

The Superior nodded. "As do I, and as the leader of these so called 'Ascended', I assume they are her creation. Yet, how? She was cunning, and somewhat intelligent, to be sure. Yet to create these 'things'? Where did she even begin to find the knowledge to perform such an unnatural fusion?"

"I suppose it answers a question I had," said Zexion, "I had wondered, and created several hypothesizes, as to what may happen if the heart from a Heartless were re-introduced to it's body. Though, this result was not what I imagined."

Vexen scoffed. "Because you refuse to acknowledge any potential conclusion that doesn't fit your narrow minded view-set."

Zexion glared at him. "Watch it you batty old coot."

"Enough," ordered the Superior, "As of this moment, all missions not-related to the topic at hand are suspended indefinitly. This is a primary concern from this point until otherwise stated. I want half of us split. Xaldin, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saix, and Xigbar, you are to start scouting out any and all worlds. You are to search for these 'Ascended', but do not engage, do not even let them know you are there. Observe where they are, and report back to us. Instruct the lesser Nobodies of the castle to go out and scout in-mass as well. Go."

_WARP_

The five of them vanished in warps of darkness.

The Superior turned his attention to the remaining. "Xion, Axel, Marluxia, Larxene, and Mesaxn, you are to go into the City That Never Was, to the other branches, and inquire if they have seen any of these creatures, and to warn them to be on the lookout. Mesaxn, you specifically will go to the Watcher's of the Princesses and warn them to be on high alert. They are to stay out indefinitely watching the Princess of Heart until further notice. If the Princesses are endangered by these creatures, they are to be taken, either to here, or as grudging as I am to say it, to the Keybearers in the Land of Departure."

"Very well," said Mesaxn, disappearing in a warp of black energy.

"The rest of you have your orders, dismissed," said the Superior.

The four of them left the room and started to disperse...

At least until Marluxia suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her side. "Tell me Xion, do you notice anything... special... about the circumstances we find ourselves in now?"

She stared at him, baffled. "Huh?"

"Yo, what are you two waiting for?" said Larxene, walking up to them, "Let's go."

Marluxia grinned at them. "Neither of you see it, do you?"

Larxene crossed her arms. "See what?"

"The opportunity," said Marluxia, "The entirety of the Core Organization, and even most of the lesser Nobodies, are away, and most likely will be for hours. Mesaxn and Axel are both heading out to the city. The castle is all but empty. There will be no one here but the three of us, the Superior, and Vexen. Now is the perfect time to strike and eliminate the Superior."

"Is... now really the right time?" said Xion, "This is serious, we need to work together to deal with these creatures..."

Larxene frowned. "I don't think taking on the Superior is a good idea anyway..."

Marluxia scoffed. "Really Larxene? You of all people are backing off an easy kill? It will be three against one, he won't win."

"What about Vexen?" said Larxene.

Marluxia chuckled. "What about him? He is a scientist, not a fighter, he'll be easy to manage, and hopefully take alive. His expertise could prove useful to us."

Larxene hesitated. "I'm... not so sure about this anymore Marluxia, they might be onto us..."

"Then why leave us this opening? He's distracted by this 'Ascended' threat, now is the perfect opening," said Marluxia.

_He's right... this opening is perfect, almost to perfect... I don't think this is a good idea Xion. I've always been told Xehanort is a cunning and devious bastard, this is way to convenient that he just happened to leave you four open._

Xion felt conflicted and uncertain. " _But... didn't you want me to 'stop' Xehanort?_ "

_Well, yes, but, this rubs me wrong..._

"And what about you Xion? Or do you no longer want me to tell you about Kairi?" inquired Marluxia.

She hesitated. "Umm... I..."

She licked her lips, thinking back to the way the Superior and Vexen had looked at her, and lied to her. "O-okay... let's do it."

_Oh boy..._

Larxene flexed her hands. "Well, screw it. If your in kid, guess I'll stay too."

Marluxia grinned. "Excellent. When we begin, one of you incapacitate Vexen immediately. Then, the three of us will overwhelm the Superior. This will be quick, easy, and painless. He won't stand a chance, and then, the Organization is ours."

The three of them turned around and returned to the round room, walking back inside. Marluxia drew his scythe, Larxene drew her knives, and Xion summoned her Keyblade when they reached the center of the room.

The Superior glanced down at them, an amused glint in his empty eyes. "I'll admit, you completed your tasks far quicker than I would have imagined. Or, did you not even leave yet? Are you perhaps... here for another matter?"

Marluxia chuckled and flicked his hair back before aiming his scythe at the Superior. "We're here to... relieve you... of your command. We 'feel' that the Organization would be far better under our leadership, than yours."

He grinned up at the Superior. "I hope you don't take it personally."

The Superior chuckled. "Is that so? You believe that the three of you would be enough to usurp me?"

Marluxia frowned. "Keep up the bravado old man. Perhaps if it were just Larxene and I, you might stand a chance, but we have the power of the Keyblade behind us, and she's grown quite strong from what I can feel."

The Superior's eyes flickered to her. "I suppose she has."

Xion felt uneasy. The man wasn't surprised, or even worried...

"There's just one problem with your plan, and why I allowed you this chance," said Superior, "What makes you so certain she's on your side?"

Marluxia's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

_Clap clap clap clap_

Xion turned her head and saw Axel walk in behind them. "Excellent work Xion, agreeing to help me with revealing the traitors."

Xion stared at him, baffled, lost, and confused. What was he going on about...?

She tensed, noting the hard but pleading look in Axel's eyes.

_I knew this was a bad idea. Xion, odds aren't with you anymore with Axel there. He's giving you a way out, go along with what he says or you die with the others._

"X-xion...," whispered Larxene, shocked.

Xion turned her head, sighting the horrified and betrayed look in the woman's eyes. Xion's stomach plummeted at that sight. She couldn't... she couldn't just abandon her...

_Xion! You'll die!_

Not if she played this right...

She glanced up at the Superior and tried to put out a confidence voice, "I-I couldn't have done gotten Marluxia to make his move w-without Larxene's help, I got her in on it too."

Axel winced and coughed, looking at her like she was crazy.

_What are you doing?! I don't think he's going to buy that!  
_

" _I'm NOT leaving my friend to die,_ " Xion hissed back at the Voice, " _Would you?_ "

The Voice went silent for a moment before answering, " _No... I suppose not._ "

Marluxia looked back and forth between Xion and Larxene, confused, baffled, and tense.

Xion gave Larxene the same pleading look Axel had given her. Thankfully, Larxene acted instantly. She teleported in a burst of lightning behind Marluxia, dropped, and stabbed a knife into the back of both of Marluxia's knees.

The man gave a cry of surprise as she kicked him in the Superior's direction. "A-all yours boss!"

The Superior gave her, and then Xion, a dry look. "Amusing."

 _He totally doesn't buy it._..

Xion gulped, and stared up at the Superior, tense. The man slowly shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"I suppose, such good work is to be rewarded," said the Superior, "Xion, I'll allow you to do the honors."

He points down at Marluxia. "Kill the traitor with your own two hands."

Xion's stomach twisted. Was he... serious? She didn't like Marluxia, but, this turned her stomach. Betraying him like this to save her and Larxene's neck was one awful thing... but to betray AND murder him?

She gulped, and shakily raised Oathkeeper...

The Superior rebuked her. "I said, with your own two hands. Snap his neck, I want you to look into his eyes as you kill him."

Xion stared up at him, mortified. "W-what?"

The Superior merely looked down at her with a wicked grin. "Are you unwilling? Am I to believe then, that you were lying, and that both you and Larxene are actually traitors to the Organization that need to be dealt with? Prove your loyalty, or suffer the same fate."

_That bastard..._

Xion felt numb, staring at Marluxia hollowly.

The man snarled and began to swing his scythe, flower petals rising around him...

Only for Axel and Larxene to both rush and grab his arms, pinning him down and forcing him to his knees.

"Do it number thirteen," ordered the Superior.

Xion shakily approached the pinned man.

Marluxia sneered at her. "What a treacherous little flower you are. I'd say you'd take after your other side, but even she never went so far as to stab an ally in the back."

Xion stared at him, confused. Slowly, she raised her hands... but... they froze next to his face... she... she couldn't... she couldn't just murder someone like this...

_Shh, Xion, shh, let me help.  
_

Let her what?

Xion watched, shocked, as her hands moved against her will, grabbed the top of Marluxia's head and his chin, and wrenched, snapping his neck. She stared, horrified, at the unnatural angle his head lolled at. Her stomach lurched, feeling like it wanted to heave everything in it. Axel and Larxene let go of Marluxia as he began to disintegrate and fade into nothingness...

The Superior gave a mocking laugh. "Excellent. Now that that little trifle is out of the way, resume your duties. I believe I gave you all orders. Begone."

Xion didn't move, staring down at where Marluxia had been. She... she had... murdered him...

Axel and Larxene tugged her and pulled her out of the Round Room.

Axel knelt down in front of her. "Xion? You okay?"

Xion stared at him blankly. "..."

"Ah jeez... dammit kid why'd you get yourself involved in this? I warned you to keep your head down and you go and do this," said Axel, shaking his head, "I warned both of you."

Larxene glared at him.

"Larxene, you can take that glare of yours and shove it, I _DID_ warn you when I didn't have to," said Axel.

"And I would have listened, but I..." she began before hesitating, glancing at Xion, "I didn't want to risk her going after the Superior with just Marluxia..."

Xion chocked a bit. She... she had murdered Marluxia, and almost gotten Larxene killed...

She couldn't help it, she started crying, clutching Axel and crying into his chest.

"Ah shesh...," muttered Axel.

"Wait... what? Is she... actually crying?" whispered Larxene, shocked.

"Larxene, go do the mission, I'll take her to her room and then head out, we'll discuss this LATER, alright?" said Axel.

Larxene hesitated before nodded, pausing briefly to whisper, "Thanks... for covering for me Xion, I'd be dead if you hadn't..."

Xion couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it, all she could see in her mind was Marluxia's snapped neck...

_Shh Xion, shh..._

Axel led her back to her room and sat her down on her bed. "Xion, listen to me, okay? You did what you had to do."

Xion couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you anymore of a heads up, Superior was on my case about this for awhile," said Axel sheepishly.

She said nothing, just continuing to sniffle and cry quietly.

Axel sighed and then sat down next to her, hesitating for a moment before giving her a hug. "I'm sorry Xion..."

"I'm... I'm a monster...," she whispered.

"Hey, no your not," he said sternly, "Marluxia was the monster, trying to get a kid involved in this. He has no one to blame but himself, got it memorized?

Silence was her only response.

Axel sighed. "I'll be back in a bit, don't want the Superior breathing down my neck. Just stay here and I'll be back to take you to the usual spot, okay?"

"..."

Axel closed his eyes, sighed one more time, and left, leaving Xion alone, sitting on her bed, in utter misery...

* * *

Xion sat between Axel and Larxene ontop of the Twilight Town Clocktower some time later, staring down blankly at the wrapped ice-cream in her hands.

"You know, ice cream can still melt in its wrapper," said Axel, "Got it memorized?

"..."

Axel frowned. "Come on Xion, it's not your fault, stop beating yourself up about it."

Xion hiccuped, sniffling, wiping a tear away from her face, but didn't respond.

She turned her head when she felt a touch on her shoulder, sighting Larxene with a hand at it. The woman looked hesitant, and uncertain, as if not certain what she was supposed to do...

"Man, your even worse than she is sometimes," said Axel, scooting over, reaching passed Xion, grabbing Larxene's arm, and pulling her into a three way hug.

"H-hey!" exclaimed Larxene.

Xion smiled and giggled a little. Larxene trying to give anyone a hug was a bizarre and funny thing.

"There we go," said Axel, "That's the Xion I want to see."

Xion sniffled a little and wiped at her eyes again. "S-sorry... I just..."

"It's okay Xion, a kid like you shouldn't have had to do that, but, Superior's a cruel bastard sometimes," said Axel.

There was a silence for a little bit, broken only for Xion's sniffling.

"Hey kid," began Larxene, "How exactly... can you cry?"

Xion hiccuped a little and turned to glare at her. "B-because murdering someone is wrong!"

Larxene made a face. "Well, your pretty much the only one who would cry over Marluxia, but it's not what I meant. How is it possible for you to cry? I thought you needed a heart to cry."

Xion frowned, recalling what Aqua said about needing a heart to use a Keyblade, and brooded queitly, turning it over in her head.

"Honestly, sometimes she makes me wonder if she actually can feel," says Axel.

"I... I think I can," whispered Xion.

"You 'think'?" said Larxene, "There's not really any 'thinking' about it you dope. You ought to know if you feel or not, you can use your past life to judge and compare and..."

"That's just it Larxene," said Xion, "I... don't have memories of my past life to guide me on how feel. So... how can I fake what I feel like Nobodies normally do if I don't remember how? What I do... what I feel... it just comes naturally."

That made Larxene go quiet.

"The Superior told me once that Xion was a special Nobody, what exactly was that supposed to mean?" pondered Axel.

Larxene nodded. "To be honest, I said it before, but, Xion doesn't feel exactly like a Nobody, but nor does she feel like a normal person either, it's baffling."

Xion grew timid. "W...would you still b-be my friends if I wasn't a Nobody?"

Axel snorted. "Of course, is that even a question?"

Larxene nodded, seeming a bit awkward. "Yeah, as much of an annoying squirt you can be at times..."

"Hey!" exclaimed Xion.

"You... make me 'feel' like it wouldn't be so bad to get my heart back," admitted Larxene.

Xion blushed furiously. Wow... that... was a heavy compliment coming from her. She hardly knew what to think at that... except...

"Larxene... why didn't you want your heart back to begin with?" asked Xion quietly.

Larxene frowned, looking somewhat uncomfortable, before shrugging. "It's just... after things were finally starting to look up for me, in one single day, I kid you not, my fiancee broke it off, I lost my job, my apartment got robbed, and when I thought it couldn't get any worse, my world got invaded by the Heartless and I got my heart ripped out and eaten right in front of me by a crazy Heartless woman. Fucking sucked."

Axel whistled and then teased, "Damn. Same here, well, minus everything except my heart getting taken. Wasn't the lady though, I think a neoshadow or something got me. Ah well, we can't all have the honor."

Larxene scowled and socked his shoulder, hard. Xion giggled a little at that.

"Xion!" came an excited shout.

Xion turned her head to see Olette and Aqua rounding the corner of the clocktower, ice cream in hand.

Olette pointed a finger at Larxene. "Scoot over you, I want me some Xion time!"

Larxene rolled her eyes and got up, moving to sit next to Axel. "Whatever kid."

Olette sat down and smiled at her. "Finally! Haven't gotten to really see you in a week and..."

She paused, frowned, and raised a finger to brush against Xion's cheek. "Have... you been crying?"

Xion bowed her head, saying nothing.

"A Nobody that can cry, curious," murmured Aqua.

Olette paid her no heed. "What's wrong Xion?"

"Uh... Organization business kid, you don't want to know," said Axel.

Olette shot him a glare. "She's my friend, she can tell me what's wrong if she wants to."

For a moment, she considered going along with what Axel said and not telling her. But... hiding her problems and pains... that was what Miss Voice did, and look what it got her? Struggling alone against whatever her problems were. She didn't want that.

_Hey!_

" _You know it's true,_ " shot back Xion.

"The Superior... made me kill someone," she admitted to Olette.

Olette froze, shock on her face, clearly not expecting that. "W-what?! You're joking, right?!"

When she didn't respond, Olette grew worried. "Please tell me your joking."

"It was either that, or me and Larxene got destroyed as well," she murmured, "It's because I was stupid and made a mistake. I never should have gone along with Marluxia's plan."

Olette grew uncertain. "Xion..."

She hesitated for a moment before giving her a hug. "It's okay Xion."

Xion smiled a little at Olette's care, sniffling a little. "T-thanks..."

"Oh, she get's the thanks? What about us? So ungrateful," teased Larxene.

Xion turned and blew her a raspberry.

Larxene shook her head, amused. "Fricken kids."

Axel just laughed.

Aqua cleared her throat. "Xion."

She turned to her. "Yes?"

"I suppose after hearing that, now would be the opportune time. Axel made a request of me, and having given it some thought, I will accept it. If you wish to leave your organization, I will take you in and protect you if you so wish," said Aqua.

Xion stared at her, stunned. "Aqua..."

_Shes... a lot more like her original self than I thought if she offered that..._

She blinked, registering the first half of what she said, and turned to Axel. "You... asked her to take me in?"

Axel averted his eyes. "Er... yes? It was just incase something went wrong, ya know? Wasn't... uh... a big deal."

Larxene grinned and slapped his back. "Someones embarrassed. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on our little Xion."

Axel grew in-dignified. "Oh please, she's just a kid."

"And you got your heart ate when? Eighteen? Twenty? Ain't that far off," said Larxene.

Axel scoffed. "Oh shove it and eat your ice cream."

Xion giggled a little at their banter, though, she wondered what a 'crush' was.

_Oh wow... I forget sometimes you don't know a lot of things._

Before she could ask what it was, Aqua cleared her throat. "Well?"

Xion bit her lip and bowed her head, thinking it over. "I... don't know. I don't think I'm in anymore trouble for now, but..."

"If you say yes, you can live it my house!" offered Olette.

"She would have to reside in the mansion," corrected Aqua, "I would have to keep a closer eye on her to be ready if she was pursued by the Organization.

"Aww, that's no fun," said Olette with a pout.

"I'll... keep it in mind," said Xion, "But..."

After what Xehanort had made her do... she held absolutely no doubt he was an awful and evil man. The Voice had asked her to make a promise, to stop him, and she was willing to make it now. She needed to try and keep an eye on him, and if need be, put a stop to whatever he was really trying to do with Kingdom Hearts.

_Xion..._

"But, I'll stay with the Organization for now," said Xion.

Aqua stared at her, silently.

Xion grew sheepish and tried to divert attention, focusing on Larxene and Axel, "After all, someone has to look after these two silly goofballs."

Larxene scoffed. "Pff, please. _WE'RE_ the silly ones? Get real you dope."

"Gotta agree with her there Xion," said Axel, raising an eyebrow at her.

"The choice is yours I suppose," interrupted Aqua, not detracted in the slightest, "The offer stands if you ever so wish to take it."

Xion gave her a small smile. "Alright, thank you."

The group grew silent, nibbling on ice-cream, staring out into the sunset at the clock behind them ticked away...


	15. Memories Not Her Own

_Xion found herself in a small body, staring anxiously at a blue-haired woman laying unconscious on a bed in an infirmary of sorts. It was Aqua. Why was she hurt? Why was she unconscious?!_

_The woman started breathing rapidly, her hands trembling. Xion found herself walking forward and gripping the woman's hand's, trying to comfort her._

_Aqua gave a startled cry and bolted upright, gasping and breathing heavily._

_Xion's eyes went wide and she squeaked out in a very happy and young voice, "Ah! Miss blue lady! You're awake!"_

_The woman blinked a few times and looked around before settling down on Xion._

_"I heard your voice in the darkness," whispered Aqua._

_Xion leaned forward and buried her head into Aqua's arm and started sniffling. "I was so scared when all the tears started ripping open. I don't know how I did it, but I made the tears and the cracks better. I didn't want you to go away, you're my hero, I want to be your friend."_

_"I'm so glad you're okay miss blue lady," she sniffled out, raising her eyes to stare at her._

_Aqua smiled softly. "My name's Aqua."_

_"A-Q-U-A," sounded out Xion before giggling, "I like that name. My name's Kairi!"_

Wait... that... wasn't... her name...? What... was... going on... what... was... this?

_"Kairi," whispered Aqua, starting to tear up a bit, "Thank you."_

_Xion giggled. "Silly, I'm supposed to be thanking you."_

_"I dunno about that," said Aqua, before a mischievous smile crossed her face._

_Before she could react, the woman reached forward and started tickling her, Xion started squealing and laughing, her arms flailing around. "H-hey! S-stop! Hehehehe!"_

_Aqua released the girl a moment later, smiling happily as the little girl scrambled out of tickle range. Xion stuck her tongue out at Aqua, and Aqua stuck hers right back out at her. They both started giggling for a few moments._

_Xion clasped her hands together and started swinging them back and forth, growing a little sheepish. "Thank you miss Aqua for saving me from the monsters. I'm sorry you got hurt..."_

_Aqua shook her head. "It's fine, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."_

_"I wish I was big and strong and a hero like you," murmured Xion sheepishly._

_Xion grew a little anxious when the woman stared at her, a serious look on her face. Had... she said something wrong?_

_She waited a bit before squeaking out, "Miss Aqua?"_

_Aqua masked her serious look and glanced at her, "Kairi..."_

_"Y-yes?" Xion answered._

_"Do you really want to be a hero?" asked Aqua softly._

_Xion smiled at her. "Ahuh, I wanna grow up to be just like you and protect all the other little girls like me!"_

_Aqua chuckled softly, before getting off the bed and slowly kneeling down in front of her. "Are you sure? Being a hero is a big responsibility Kairi, once you're chosen, there's no going back."_

_Xion gave her a curious look before shaking her head. "So? If I can help people by beating up mean monsters and making tears and cracks go away then I wanna! I don't do takesies-backsies!"_

_Aqua closed her eyes tightly before opening them and summoning her keyblade and holding the handle out towards her. "In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."_

_Xion blinked a few times, speechless at the pretty poem, before slowly reaching her hand out and grasping the Keyblade's handle. She felt... a little strange... in her heart._

_"One day Kairi, when you're older, I'll come back for you. I'll be your master, and you'll be my apprentice, I'll teach you all about being a Keyblade Wielder. About the worlds, about yourself, about the light and the darkness," Aqua said softly._

_Xion's eyes went wide and beady. "Y-you promise?"_

_Aqua nodded and ruffled the girl's hair. "I promise."_

* * *

Xion sat up in her bed, gasping for air and clutching her head. She took a ragged breath and raised a hand to her heart. There was no pain, unlike every weird memory flashback before now. Instead... she felt a warmth spreading out of her chest and into her body. She sat in bed, confused. This was the first time she had ever had one in her dreams before, and especially in such length.

"What... was that...?" she whispered.

That memory... had felt so powerful to her, had jerked at her emotions heavily each passing second, but why had it come to her all of the sudden? The memories had stopped awhile back, why start up again?

She frowned, contemplating it, before shaking her head and moving to get up out of bed...

The moment she did, she grew dizzy. For a second, the room changed into a different one. Her coat disappeared, and instead, she had red and white armor on. She caught sight of pure red hair dangling down in front of her eyes...

Then it was gone, and she was back in her own room. She staggered and collapsed, barely catching herself and placing her hands out to stop herself from hitting her head.

"What's... going on...?" she whispered.

She slowly stood up, struggling to. "These... things I see, these memories. Is... miss Voice wrong? Am I... Kairi?"

_No... no your not, your... Xion..._

Xion froze at the pain in the Voice's voice. "Miss Voice? Are you okay?"

_Y...yeah, I'm... fine._

Xion narrowed her eyes. "You don't sound fine."

There was no response.

Xion sighed. "I wish you would trust me enough to let me help you..."

Silence.

Xion shook her head and left her room, making for the Gray Area. It was jam packed with most of the Core Organization. She caught wind of most of them discussing Marluxia's betrayal and execution. She did her best to not react to it, and instead walked up to Saix.

"Is there any missions today?" asked Xion.

Saix shook his head. "No. The Superior is going over yesterday's reports to determine the best course of action to deal with these... 'ascended' creatures. A number were spotted in several worlds, and while it was against orders, a number of our members fought and destroyed them."

Xion's eyes worriedly flickered to the room, searching to see if anyone was missing.

"No one perished if that is your thought," said Saix, "We are the Core Organization, we are not weaklings."

Did... that mean she was weak for being beaten? For having miss Voice come out from wherever she was and save her?

_No Xion... your not weak. The care... in your heart for others... proves it... and soon... you'll be powerful enough too... fight anyone who tries to... hurt you._

Xion felt anxious, not liking the constant pained tone miss Voice was in. She gave a brief nod to Saix before leaving the gray area and heading down the castle. She wanted to go down to Xifta's bar and relax for a bit, maybe listen to some music and...

Xion staggered, the castle warping before it. She found herself again dressed in red and white armor, walking down a beautiful castle hallway and into a large room with beautiful windows, and three thrones...

Xion blinked and shook her head. "What's with these? They've never been this constant or intense before..."

She resumed walking, a heavy frown on her face. When she started walking down the streets of the City That Never Was, it happened again. This time, instead of armor, she was dressed in some kind of uniform. She was walking down the streets of Traverse Town, eyes sharp and wandering, looking for any potential, like she were out on a patrol...

Xion moved to place a hand against a nearby building wall for support. "What... is this...?"

"Hey, you okay?" came a voice from a random humanoid Nobody.

Xion briefly waved them away. "I'm fine..."

Xion waited a few minutes before she resumed heading for Xifta's bar. She braced herself before entering, already expecting to be hit by another. She wasn't let down in that regard as much as she wished she was. The bar warped, Nobodies changing to Somebodies, the laughter and jeering becoming more whole, a different music playing, Xifta washing down her bar, a smile on her face as she looked up at Kairi... at her... at Xion... who was... she...?

Xion closed her eyes as she stood in the doorway, struggling with the sensations washing over her. She took a deep breath and walked up to the bar and sat down.

"Hey Xion," said Xifta, walking over to her, "What can I get you?"

Xion stared at her for a moment, the dizziness overcoming her again, her voice sounding oddly unlike her own, and like the voice of the girl in her dreams, "Tifa... hows... Marlene... and Cloud...?"

Xifta froze for a moment before calling out, "Hey Xelemnra, take over for a bit."

Xion watched hazily as a the bar warped, and a little girl in a pink dress with a yellow ribbon moved to take Xifta's... take Tifa's... spot behind the counter.

Tifa walked over and tugged on her arm. "Come on Xion, let's umm... talk in the back."

Her eyes furrowed, focusing in and out. "X... Xion...?"

She followed behind Tifa and into a backroom before the woman sat her down on a keg. "You okay?"

"Tifa...," said Xion, her vision blurry, "How's business... been? I know... it's hard to keep up... with things being rough... in Traverse Town... I can... take over your guardian's... duty for you... if you want..."

Tifa bit her lip a little anxiously. "Xion...?"

Xion looked at her blankly.

"Kairi?" Tifa questioned quietly.

Xion blinked once. "Kairi... that's... is... she... who I..."

Xion's head tilted forward and she clutched her head. "Gna..."

Tifa slapped her cheeks. "Hey! Xion, snap out of it!"

Xion jolted, her blurry vision clearing. "What?! Where?!"

She blinked a few times, refocusing on Xifta who was standing in front of her, worried. "Xion? Are you okay? You're really out of it right now."

Xion rubbed her eyes, feeling strange. Her entire body felt warm, continually warm in a way it hadn't been before...

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Just... stay here for a moment, I'm going to go get the others," said Xifta before leaving.

Xion closed her eyes, breathing in and out in heavy breaths, her hearing going in and out in high pitched whines.

"Xion?" came a voice.

She sleepily opened her eyes and smiled at the face that greeted her. "Hi... mom..."

Yuffie looked surprised, and then grinned. "Aha! So you finally remember now do you?"

"Remember...?" she murmured, "No, I... didn't forget to... take Arthur out on... patrol with me... earlier..."

Yuffie blanked for a moment. "Huh?"

"It's like I said," came Tifa's voice, "She's completely out of it. It's like she's reliving some of her old memories when she was a whole person, when she was Kairi."

Xion slowly turned her head. "Whole... person...?"

"Xion," came a stern voice.

When she didn't react, the stern voice sighed. "Kairi."

Xion turned her head, sighting Leon. "Yeah... dad...?"

The man moved over to her a knelt down in front of her. "I need you to focus, okay?"

"Focus... always pay attention... to your surroundings," she murmured, "Otherwise... a heartless or a mugger... can sneak up on you..."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "True, but not what I'm talking about."

He leaned forward and barked an order. "Focus!"

Xion jolted and took a ragged breath, staggering up and off the keg. "I... what...?"

An arm grabbed her to steady her. "Kid, are you alright?"

She turned her head. "Nexol...?"

The man frowned. "Xion, I think you need to get back to your room and sleep. I don't think you being out and about right now is a good idea."

He grew quiet for a moment. "I don't like seeing you like this."

"Should we get Xithera?" asked Xifta.

Nexol shook his head. "She'll probably lapse again if she sees anyone else from her past."

Xion's eyes furrowed. "Lapse...? Do you know what's going on with me? I... I feel so strange. I'm... I'm seeing things... memories that aren't my own..."

Xuffiey bit her lip. "Shouldn't we just, you know, get it over with and tell her? It'd be easier than watching her struggle like this."

Nexol shook his head up and began to walk Xion to the door. "No. It's something she'll have to do on her own."

Xion grew confused. "I don't understand... why... why are you all keeping something from me?"

"It's for your own good kid, let's go," said Nexol.

_You're lucky Xion... to have them care for you like this..._

" _Is keeping things from me supposed to be caring?_ " bit back Xion.

_As much as... I dislike it... it kind of is..._

Xion grew silent at that and let Nexol escort her to the bar door. "Go get some rest kid."

Xion sighed before walking out and heading back to the Castle. As she walked, the world around her kept distorting, kept changing to resemble Traverse Town before shifting back to The City That Never Was. She kept her head bowed and walked in a daze. She felt... scared, terrified... what was... going on...?

_It's alright Xion... I've accepted my fate... I won't resist the process... anymore... it'll be over soon... a few days at most... and then you... will have everything...  
_

Xion couldn't focus enough to register and question the Voice's words. She wobbled into the castle and took a few steps before collapsing to her knees, clutching a hand to her chest. The warm sensation was overwhelming...

"Woah, easy Xion," came a voice and the rush of footsteps...

Xion looked up, and the world around her warped. She found herself laying in a bed, in a room in Traverse Town, saw a spiky brown haired boy approaching her, concern on her face.

"I-I'm f-fine...," she gasped out.

"You don't look fine to me," said the boy, kneeling down to put two hands on her shoulder.

But... how was he doing that... when she was laying down? The world warped and twisted around her, changing back and forth, making her squirm and moan fitfully.

"Woah, Xion? Uh... you better just sit for a bit," said the brown haired boy.

Xion began to struggle. "I'm not weak! We can't wait, we have to find Kingdom Hearts, we..."

"Xion? The heck are you talking about? Kingdom Heart's is floating up in the sky right up there," said the brown haired voice.

Xion's vision grew hazy. "So...ra... what do you... mean? We have to... find it... and stop Aqua's Heartless..."

The boy, Sora, blinked and frowned. "Uh... what? First off, do I look like a super spiky brown haired goofball to you? I might be a little spiky, but I'm a redhead, got it memorized?"

Xion blinked a few times, Sora slowly melted away, revealing Axel staring at her with deep worry. "Xion, what the heck is going on with you?"

Xion began to shake uncontrollably, tears sliding down her face. "I... who..."

She grabbed his coat and began to shake him, screaming, "WHO AM I?!"

"Xion?!" said Axel, alarmed.

_I'm so sorry Xion... that this is... so hard on you..._

She couldn't take it, she collapsed against him, her vision going black...


	16. A True Friend

_Xion stood on a platform, in a daze, across from her, the blurry form of a red-haired girl in armor smiled sadly at her and spoke in a pained town. "It'll be alright Xion... I'll try and... take it slower from now on... so you don't get overwhelmed."_

_"Slow...er...?" Xion questioned sleepily._

_Xion glanced around, confused at what she was seeing. There were black tendrils both wrapped around the platform and stabbing into it. It looked like... they were sucking energy out of it, taking from it... why were they doing that...?_

_"T... this... isn't right...," she whispered, extreme unease filling her chest, "It... it has to stop..."_

_The blurry image walked over and slowly reached a hand up to brush her cheek. "How could I... have ever hated you... Xion?"_

_The blurry image wrapped her in a hug. "It'll... it'll be okay... Xion. Don't worry... sleep... dream... and become who I... never could be..."_

_Here... in this place... in this girl's arms, felt like where she belonged, where she was supposed to be, where she was supposed to return to. Yet... it didn't feel... quite right... but... she couldn't..._

_She collapsed against the figure, and closed her eyes..._

* * *

She slept, she dreamed for what felt like an eternity. Small images, bits of conversations, and people's faces flashed across her vision. She saw herself, in armor, fighting across and number of worlds against legion's of Heartless. She saw an awful and evil looking version of Aqua floating down from the sky in front of a cracked door. All of that and more bombarded and confused her...

_Snore_

The barrage was interrupted at the sound. She coughed and gasped, opening her eyes and finding herself in her room. She blinked a few times before glancing to her side, spotting Axel snoozing in a chair next to her bed.

"A...ax...Axel...," she whispered.

The man stirred and yawned, stretched briefly before freezing, sighting her awake. "Xion!"

He was up in an instant, kneeling down in front of her bed. "Boy oh boy, you had me worried."

"You, Xion, need to stop doing this," he scolded, "You're going to give me a heart attack before I even get my heart back."

Xion giggled a little at the bad joke. "Axel..."

His face grew serious. "Xion, what's wrong? What's going on with you?"

She stared at him, at his serious, yet kind face, his eyes holding deep concern for her.

To him, she would never lie.

"I've been seeing things, and memories, not my own," she confessed, "Ever since I first woke up. It wasn't this bad at first, and even stopped for awhile, then... it just... hit me, overwhelmed me."

Axel's eyebrows furrowed. "Memories? Whose memories?"

"Kairi's," whispered Xion.

Axel blinked a few times. "Wait, that's why you've been trying to find out who she was?"

Xion nodded. "Yeah."

Axel stood up and began pacing back and forth a few times, taking a glance at her ever now and then. "Hrm... I mean, you _DO_ look a lot like her, but, Nobodies don't change hair color when they're born to my knowledge, though, your hair's starting to look like hers. You're name doesn't match with the whole X rule either, nor do you really act like her, well, maybe you act like she used to be when she was a kid but, well, that might go with the lack of memories, hrm..."

He frowned and faced her. "Xion, as much as I want to think you are who you are, if you're experiencing her memories... are you... sure you're not Kairi's Nobody? Things are kind of stacking up to that."

"I... I don't know," she said, starting to tear up, "I'm... I'm scared Axel. I'm scared I'm going to wake up one day and be someone else."

She couldn't help but curl up and start crying. "I'm scared..."

Axel walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her into a hug, running a hand comfortingly through her hair. "Shh, it's okay, you'll always be Xion, especially to me."

For a moment, she felt like she was melting. She didn't understand it. All of her concerns washed away, comforted by the sensation. She pulled herself up and embraced him in a hug, resting her head on his shoulder, slowly relaxing under his touch and in his arms as he hugged her. She stayed there unmoving, not willing or wanting to move. She felt... safe, secure, like nothing could touch her. For a time, she felt a sensation of belonging that almost equaled the one she felt for finding that girl... she didn't... understand what she was feeling.

Axel sighed. "Xion. I promise I'll figure out what's going on with you. I'll get to the bottom of this, you... mean to much to me to let you suffer like this. I'm sorry I haven't already done more. I've let missions, other obligations, and my own laziness get in the way. I've... enjoyed the sunsets to much, I haven't wanted to do anything else. I suppose, I was afraid of losing what we had."

Xion turned her head to smile at him. "I've enjoyed the sunsets and ice creams to. Especially when your there with me. If... I had to name a friend I liked the most, I think... you'd be it."

"So, I'm your best friend huh?" he said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Well, you're my best friend to," he admitted before growing sheepish, "If... I had a heart, and you were a bit older, I think I'd feel like I wanted you to be more."

_Oh wow... he totally just confessed to you... that's adorable._

Xion felt utterly confused. "I don't get it. What's more than being a friend?"

Axel laughed and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "You're to innocent for your own good Xion."

They both jumped a little when the door burst open and Larxene walked in. "Alright, enough's enough, she's waking up whether she likes it or... not...?"

The woman paused, took one look at them, and started laughing her head off. "I was going to wake that lazy girl up, but never mind, I wont interrupt your boyfriend girlfriend time."

Xion felt confused. Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Well, they were a boy and a girl and friends? Or... hadn't Xurrath said something like that before... and why was Axel's face turning a bit red.

Axel coughed and separated from Xion. "No that's fine, have some girl time, I'm going to go do a bit of digging and see if I can't get some information for her."

He stood up and turned to give Xion a warning look before walking to the door. "Xion, I want you to relax and take it easy for a bit. Got it memorized?"

"Umm, okay?" she said, a bit confused by his abrupt departure.

She felt... sad... that he had just left, she hugged her arms around herself and pouted a little. "I... liked being held like that..."

Larxene grinned full force and walked to stand in front of her, leaning down, speaking in an odd tone, almost like a purr. "Oh? You liked being held by, _a man_?"

"No, just Axel," she said, "Though, I haven't really gone and had anyone else hold me like that."

Larxene pulled back and laughed. "Oh man, I think I have a new favorite hobby."

"Huh?" said Xion.

Larxene grinned again. "Teasing you and going over your clueless dumb head."

"Hey!" said Xion, scowling at her.

_She's... kind of right... if I had the strength... I might join in..._

" _Not you too!_ " said Xion before pausing and registering the words and tone, " _Miss Voice? I thought you were better, why are you sounding tired again?_ "

_It's... nothing..._

Larxene crossed her arms. "I ought to be jealous, I did lay eyes on him first, but you two are kind of adorable together. Not to mention, I suppose you have a heart to actually give."

Xion grew confused. "Huh?"

Larxene shook her head. "Nothing."

She frowned briefly. "You know... I almost think he was actually worried, actually cared. He didn't leave your side the moment he carried you in her yesterday."

"Yesterday?!" said Xion, a little upset.

Larxene shrugged. "You were out for roughly a day or so. I checked in every now and then."

Xion pouted a little before she registered what Larxene had said. "He... didn't leave? Even once?"

"Nope," she said in a teasing tone.

Xion felt her cheeks heat up a little, not really sure why. "O-oh... that was... nice of him."

Larxene grinned. "The knight in shinning armor hand carried his sleeping princess here and plopped her down on the bed, watching over her until miss sleeping beauty woke up."

Xion stared at her blankly.

Larxene just laughed again. "Oh this is to much fun."

She sat down next to Xion, a mischievous look on her face, her voice taking an odd almost purr like tone. "So... tell me, _Xion_ , what did it feel like to be held like that?"

Xion hesitated. "Umm..."

_She's... enjoying this... way to much... it's almost sadistic... in a funny way..._

"If you had to pick one word, what would it be?" teased Larxene.

Xion mulled over the question for a minute, trying to search for the right word. "S-sanctuary."

Larxene blinked, opening and closing her mouth several times before she let out a soft, "Huh..."

"I just... felt so comfortable, there wasn't a worry or concern in the world that could touch me," Xion admitted, "I don't really understand it..."

She noticed Larxene had gone kind of passive. "Larxene?"

The woman slowly shook her head and stood up, almost looking sad. "Xion... I envy you I suppose. Don't ever lose sight of who made you feel like that. That feeling is something a girl can look for her entire life and never find, settling for someone else just to try and grab at it."

"Larxene...," said Xion quietly.

Larxene walked out the door without a further word. Xion stared at the door, confused and bewildered. Had she said something wrong to upset her?

_She's not... upset... just... a little wistful if I... had to guess... she did tell you about... her fiancee after all..._

" _Right, umm, what's a fiancee?_ " she asked.

There was an audible sigh of amusement, but no other answer.

Xion moved to lay down on her bed and began trying to sort and make sense of what she had seen and heard in her dreams. She laid there for a few hours until Larxene suddenly barged back into her room, nervousness splashed across her face.

"Uh... Xion, you might want to get to the infirmary," said Larxene.

Xion sat up. "Huh? Why?"

"Axel was just carried there," said Larxene.

Xion's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!"

She bolted passed the woman, feeling a heavy pressure in her chest and swearing she heard a loud thumping. She bum rushed there and burst in, sighting Axel laying down on a bed, breathing raggedly, a heavy black and gray burn on his coat above where his heart should be.

"Axel!" she cried out, rushing over to him, "What happened?"

Axel frowned, not looking happy to see her there. "What did I tell you Xion... you should be resting and..."

"What. Happened." she demanded in a heavy tone.

Axel withered a little. "Uh..."

"Ho boy, she's miffed," came Larxene's voice, laughing a little.

Xion turned her head to see Larxene walk over and glance down at Axel, a frown on her face. "Well?"

Axel sighed. "I asked the wrong questions to the Superior. Or maybe, I asked the right ones."

"What did you ask?" Xion demanded.

Axel went silent.

"Axel, tell me!" she demanded again.

Axel averted his eyes. "Sorry Xion, I can't. It's for your own safety."

Xion glared at him, but he wouldn't budge.

She felt a burning hot anger in her chest that refused to be ignored. Axel had been hurt, had been hurt trying to help her out!

"I'm going to go teach the Superior a lesson!" she snarled out.

Axel reached out and grabbed one arm. "Xion! No you are not!"

Larxene blocked her off and grabbed her other arm. "The Superior might sit on his ass all day, but he's still powerful, more powerful than anyone else in the Organization, you can't fight him. He's to strong."

_Maybe for now... but... when the process is complete... and your at your full power... I don't think... with the Cornerstones power... that'll be true anymore...  
_

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. " _Process? Cornerstone?_ "

The Voice didn't respond.

There was a chuckle from the door. "Well well well Flamsilocks, look like you got licked pretty good."

The two of them let go of Xion, and all three turned their heads to glance at the door, sighting Xigbar walking in.

The man walked over to them and stared at Xion, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "You know kiddo, if your looking for answers, your not going to find it being Xehanort's obedient lapdog, and make no mistake, to him, you're just a _puppet_ , we all are."

Xion stared at him, feeling confused and troubled.

"You want to figure out the truth, you want to understand everything that's happening to you?" asked Xigbar.

"Hey, just how much are you aware of?" demanded Axel, sitting up.

"Yes," answered Xion firmly, ignoring Axel's interrupted.

Xigbar leaned forward. "Then figure out the answer to this one question, the one you've been seeking for so long, and everything else will be start making sense: Who is Kairi?"

_He knows..._

Axel narrowed his eyes. "What's your angle Xigbar? Are you trying to get Xion killed?"

"As if," said Xigbar, "I'm pretty sure if I got either Xion or Kairi hurt then my benefactor, when she's whole, would have my head."

"Benefactor?" demanded Axel.

Xigbar grinned. "Let's just say I made a deal a long time ago with a certain blue haired Keyblade Master and I'm angling to get what was promised to me. Helping you all out is a show of good faith on my part that I don't hold what happened against her."

_He's... talking about Master Aqua... but what deal... is he talking about?_

Xigbar chuckled, almost darkly. "I think it's time kiddo. I've been watching everyone you've gone to ask, and there's one person you haven't asked. I think you should go to the library and go ask Mesaxn that question."

Xion blinked a few times. "Mesaxn?"

Axel frowned. "The heck does he have to do with this?"

"It's not what he has to do with it. He's a smart cookie, and knows a lot of things. He's also completely unbiased and oblivious to what's going on under his nose," said Xigbar before turning to Xion, "So, what does that mean kiddo?"

"Umm, I don't know?" she admitted sheepishly.

"It means you can get an honest answer out of him, no lies, no secrecy, nothing held back," said Xigbar, 'Now get going kiddo."

Xion nodded and turned, making for the door.

"X-xion! wait!" said Axel, shifting to try and stand.

_WARP_

Xion paused and turned her head, sighting Xigbar's guns appear in his hand, one pointed at Larexene, the other he waved back and forth in front of his head, "Ah ah ah, nope. I've waited to long for this flamsilocks, you are sitting right there."

"Xigbar, if you harm a hair on his head...," growled out Xion.

Xigbar turned and grinned. "Didn't I say get going kiddo?"

Xion frowned briefly, not liking the man's guns being pointed at her friends, but slowly turned and left. She was so damn sick of this crap. Of the lies and secrecy around her and this 'Kairi' girl. What's more, the Superior had _crossed a line_. He had hurt her Axel! She was about ready to wash her hands of this whole thing and walk away from the Organization.

Whatever Mesaxn had to say _better_ be good. She was starting to think she wasn't going to be able to find her answers in the Organization, he was honestly her last honest bet, everyone else just kept keeping things from her. Aside from maybe taking the Superior down, she was having less and less of a reason to stay...


	17. The Final Straw

Xion walked into the library, a large room filled to the brim with books and computers. Truth be told, she had to look at a map to find it, she had never been here before. Sitting at a table reading a book in the center of the room, as it's sole inhabitant, was Mesaxn the Wise. She took a second to reappraise the man, looking over his blond hair worn long and slicked back, a short mustache and goatee, and bright orange eyes. Despite the emptiness that filled those eyes, they seemed just and kind.

She walked over and sat down across from him. "Mesaxn."

The man glanced up from his book. "Ah, young Xion, what brings you here?"

"I have a question for you," she said.

The man closed his book and leaned back in his chase. "I am always willing to answer the questions of the young and eager to learn."

She stared at him, hoping and praying that for once, she'd get an honest answer. "Do you know who is Kairi?

Mesaxn tilted his head and studied her. "The Keybearing Princess of Heart?"

Xion's eyes lit up. "Yeah! You know about her?"

Mesaxn stares at her for a time. "Yes, I do. She used to be an inhabitant of my world before it fell to darkness."

"Your world?" asked Xion.

"I used to rule the world of Radiant Garden, back when I was whole," he answered, "My name and tittle used to be Ansem the Wise."

She giggled a little. "Well, aside from the X and a scrambled name, it hasn't changed much."

The man chuckled softly. "No, I suppose it hasn't."

"What can you tell me about Kairi?" she asked.

The man thought for a moment. "I saw her once, as a child, picking flowers for her Grandmother. She had a purity and innocence about her unlike anything I had ever seen. To be honest, from what I've seen, only you could rival it."

Xion blushed a little.

He pulled at his beard, thinking. "I saw her once again, when I was on recon in Traverse Town a few years ago. If I were capable of it, I would have been saddened to see the child had hardened over the years, struggling to adapt and survive in the cruel world we lived in during the Heartless Apocalypse. I hadn't seen her since, though, I did hear she became an Keybearer, and had something to do with the end of the Heartless Apocalypse. Afterwords, she disappeared."

Mesaxn studied Xion. "You look a lot like her."

Xion nodded. "And I'm confused by that. People have been telling me that for awhile now, some have suggested that I'm Kairi's Nobody, but... I'm not sure."

Mesaxn's eyebrows furrowed. "That's impossible. You cannot be her Nobody."

Xion heart skipped a beat. Did he just give her an flat out honest answer?

"Why not?" she asked eagerly.

"Kairi is a Princess of Heart, someone with no darkness in their heart. As such, they cannot create a heartless when their heart is stolen, thus, cannot create Nobody's. Beyond that, their bodies will not leave the Realm of Light when their heart leaves their body, and as such, cannot be reborn as a Nobody," explained Mesaxn.

Xion was dumbstruck by the finality of his answer. "So... it's impossible for me to be Kairi's Nobody?"

Mesaxn appeared to ponder her question. "Not unless, if it's even possible, an exceptional set of circumstances happened, and even then, I'm not sure a Nobody would be created, or if it would even technically be her own Nobody in this case. I've theorized that if the heart of a Princess of Heart were in someone else when they lost their heart, became a heartless, and created a Nobody, that they might create a Nobody as well, but I'm not entirely certain on that."

_That... almost happened with Sora..._

"What do you mean?" asked Xion.

Silence.

" _Dammit, why can't you give me an honest answer for once?!_ " demanded Xion.

_I'm sorry Xion..._

Xion licked her lips. Fine then, there was only one last thing to ask then...

"Mesaxn, if I can't be Kairi's Nobody... then why am I gaining her memories?" she asked.

Mesaxn's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Ever since I've been born, I've been experiencing her memories, I even have Keyblade," said Xion, "I'm certain, dead certain, at this point with what you said that I am not her Nobody."

Mesaxn grew wary. "I do not know, but I can say this: If you are not her Nobody, and were not fully born with those memories, then something unnatural is happening to cause you to gain them. I suspect the Superior may have an idea, if anyone in the Organization is to have one."

Figured...

"Xion...," said Mesaxn, "I want you to be careful. I have a 'feeling', based on what you said, that something is amiss."

Xion merely smiled at him. "I'll be fine, I know what I have to do."

Mesaxn frowned. "Is that so?"

"I'm going to get an answer from him, and if I don't, I'm done," she said, getting up and making for the door.

"Done? What do you mean?" Mesaxn called after her.

She didn't answer, and left the room.

_Xion... he's right... you need to be careful._

" _Miss Voice, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but unless your going to stop withholding the truth from me, then, SHUT, UP!_ " she hissed.

The voice went completely silent.

Xion walked silently through the halls, her hand running along the walls as she walked. She... had a feeling this might be one of the last times she saw this place. She slowly made her way to the Round Room and walked inside, ready to finally put the truth to rest, or be fed another lie and walk away.

The Superior was alone this time, appearing lost in thought over something. Xion took a Corridor to her throne and sat down, staring up at him.

She dropped all pretenses and politeness. "Xehanort."

The Superior froze before glancing down at her. "I'm curious how you know that name, Xion."

"Xehanort, who is Kairi?" she demanded.

The Superior scowled. "Xion, we've been over this before, I told you to drop the subject."

"I don't care," she snarled out, "I'm sick and tired out being lied to!"

The Superior pursed his lips. "What makes you think you are being lied to?"

She gave him a hard stare and decided to... make a gamble. She'd try to steer him towards an answer, and if he took the obvious bait, she'd know she'd never get an answer from her.

She cleared her throat. "I might be naive at times, but I'm not stupid. Things aren't adding up, I'm seeing memories that aren't my own, and I even have her Keyblade, WHO IS SHE?"

The Superior was surprised for a moment before a soft, victorious smile played across his face. "Seeing her memories?"

"Answer the question, or so help me I'll leave this damn Organization and go find the truth out for myself!" she threatened.

The Superior narrowed his eyes, intense displeasure coating his face. "Is knowing who Kairi is truly that important to you?"

"Yes," she answered."

"Fine then, Kairi is your former self, your somebody, you are her Nobody, you are Kairi," said the Superior.

Xion closed her eyes and tightened her fists. He had taken the bait... he had just straight up lied to her face again, going straight against what Mesaxn had just told her. She was so sick of this crap...

She opened her eyes and stared coldly at him. "I see."

The Superior stared down at her, a cold, calculating look in his eyes. "Is that all Xion?"

"I suppose it is," said Xion, taking a corridor back down to the floor.

With that, she turned and left the room.

She was so sick of the lies and the treachery. She felt... like she was running out of time to find out the answer of who Kairi truly is, and what her relationship to her was. What she had threatened the Superior, threatened _Xehanort_ with was the only answer... she would never find the truth here. She wasn't going to get anything but lies and deception. It was time to go, time to leave the Organization. She'd say goodbye to Axel and Larxene, go give a goodbye to Nothing's Watch, and maybe Xokie too, and then she was gone. Oh, and Luxord to. Afterwords, she figured she'd go to Aqua and start there.

She walked to the infirmary, sighting Xigbar, Larxene, and Axel talking quietly to one another.

She walked up to them and stared at them silently.

"So kiddo, what did you find out?" asked Xigbar.

Her eyes flickered to him. "That it is impossible for me to be Kairi's Nobody."

Xigbar grinned. "And...?"

She walked passed him, not answering. Instead, she walked over to Axel and gave him a hug.

"Uh... Xion?" said Axel.

She did the same to Larxene. "What's with the random hugs you dope?"

Xion separated and took a few steps back, a soft sad smile on her face. "You guys have been good friends to me. I'm going to miss you."

Axel frowned. "Miss us? What the heck are you talking about Xion?"

Larxene crossed her arms. "Xion... are you thinking what I think your thinking..."

Xigbar laughed. "I think she is. Good for you kiddo, good for you."

Xion turned and walked off, offering a quiet and pained, "Goodbye..."

"Xion! Wait a second!" said Axel, moving to get off the infirmary bed.

Xigbar raised his guns again. "Ah ah ah, we've been over this before. You two aren't messing this up."

Xion didn't even turn, she walked out and strode to the Gray Area, ah, there was that lovable gambling man. There were three people in the room, Luxord, Xaldin, and Lexaeus.

She walked over to see Luxord playing a solo card game. "Luxord."

The man glanced up. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite player. Up for a game?"

She shook her head, walked over, and gave him a hug.

"Umm... Xion?" said Luxord, a bit confused.

"Just wanted to say bye before I left," she said, "Playing games with you during downtime was fun while it lasted."

A cautious look entered Luxord's eyes. "Xion... perhaps I misheard, but... did you say you were planning on leaving... as in leaving the Organization?"

There was a heavy silence. She became aware of the other two members in the area staring at her, hard.

_Uh... Xion... that was a really bad move..._

Xion brushed it off. "Yes. I'm done with the lies."

Luxord looked baffled. "Lies...? Xion what are you going on about?"

Xion turned and walked away, only to be cut off by Xaldin.

The man narrowed his eyes, a dangerous tone in his voice. "Child, I suggest you rethink your decision. All Nobodies belong to the Organization. Anyone who leaves the Organization is considered a traitor."

He leaned down. "I despise traitors."

_Thud thud thud_

She glanced behind her, sighting Lexaeus come up and stand a bit behind her, a frown on his face. "Xion, this course of action is unwise. If you attempt to abandon the Organization, you will be forced to return, or be destroyed."

"Forced to be in the Organization or destroyed huh?" she said defiantly, "Well, the more I know and learn, the more I begin to despise this group."

A spear appeared in Xaldin's hand.

"I have nothing against most of you," said Xion, feeling a surge of confidence, "Just the Superior, and maybe Vexen. So I suggest you move out of my way unless you want to get hurt."

Xaldin was briefly taken aback before he frowned. "You are playing a dangerous game Xion. The Organization is not to be trifled with."

She turned her head at the sound of something warping. She saw a heavy sword appear in Lexaeus's hand.

_Xion... ever heard of the... Salvation technique?_

" _I've seen it in a memory,_ " answered Xion.

_Use it._

Xion spun. " **LIGHT!** "

_BOOM!_

Light ripped out of her body and blasted the two man back and into a wall, hard. They slumped to the ground dazed. Luxord made no move to stop her, merely staring at her almost sadly. She gave him a curt nod and then bolted. Time to go.

She got about half way down the castle before an alarm blared. "Attention all Core Organization members and castle staff. Number Thirteen Xion is to be apprehended and taken to the Soundless Prison. Use force if necessary."

_You really... should have... just left without... telling anyone..._

"Noted," she muttered.

_WARP_

Her eyes went wide to see lesser Nobodies appearing and rushing at her. "Crap!"

She summoned Oathkeeper and sliced through them.

_Just take... a damn Corridor!_

Oh right.

Xion aimed a hand forward... but nothing happened. "What?"

_They're being... disrupted... get out of the castle!_

Xion ground her teeth and sped up, cutting down lesser Nobodies as she went. She really didn't want to kill them, but she didn't have a choice at this point. She reached Twilight's view and blitzed down the steps, making for the Hall of Empty Melodies and...

_WHAM_

Xion gave a scream as something hit her and knocked her off the top balcony. She landed with a heavy thud down below and cringed.

"I believe this is where this escapade ends," came Zexion's voice.

Xion rose to her feet and glanced up to see the man levitate down, holding up a book. "Zexion... don't make me fight you."

"I believe I was about to say the same thing little one," said Zexion, "I am your superior in the Organization by far, you won't stand a chance."

_Why don't... you show him otherwise? Give him... a nice Shock._

Xion's keyblade glew with light and she aimed it at him. "Shock!"

Light exploded at him, but to her surprise, it swirled around and was absorbed into his book.

_What?!_

Zexion aimed the book at her. "Shock."

Xion was thrown back when light exploded around her, she staggered on landing, her eyes going wide.

"My Lexicon can replicate most abilities and magic," explained Zexion, "Now, stand down."

_Xion! We can't... fool around here! There will... be more coming! Use your... true power!_

Xion ground her teeth and held out her free hand, concentrating her energy. In a flash of light, Two-Became One appeared in her hand.

Zexion's eyes went wide. "Two?!"

Xion froze when the Voice cried out in pain. Suddenly, Two-Became One became less broken, and Oathkeeper started taking on a damaged, rusty appearance. She stared at the two Keyblades, baffled. She didn't understand what was going on, but she didn't have time to try and figure it out.

She blitzed at Zexion, moving at a speed she hadn't thought she was capable of. She sliced his Lexicon in half with Oathkeeper, than sliced Two-Became One across the young man's chest, sending him staggering back and to the ground.

"S-such strength!" he gasped out, clutching his chest, "How? When?"

"I don't honestly know," she admitted, "That's one of the thing's I'm hoping to figure out. Now get out of here. I don't want to kill you."

Zexion staggered to his feet and backed away. "So be it."

She watched, satisfied, as he disappeared in a puff of black energy. She turned and...

_WHAM_

She cried out when a blast of black energy hit her and sent her staggering. "So bet it Xion, I suppose I will have to fight seriously."

She turned to see not one, but three Zexions floating in front of her, each holding a book. "What the?! Dammit Zexion!"

_Xion... don't hold back... he had his chance... show him the power... of the Keyblade..._

Xion ground her teeth and readied her Keyblades. "You asked for it!"

She flourished her Keyblades before pulling them under her armpits and thrusting them out. "Take that!"

Light exploded out of her in a nova, destroying two of the Zexions and sending the third staggering back. Xion blitzed forward, glowing brightly with light, the glow following her like a trail. She tore into him, swinging her Keyblade in wide arcs, unleashing bursts of searing light with each hit. The man cried out in pain before vanishing and reappearing a ways away, taking deep ragged breaths, his book glowing a heavy dark blue,

Xion hefted Oathkeeper and threw it like a spear, determined to knock the book out of his hands...

Only to gasp in shock when it went tore right through the book and embedded deeply into Zexion's chest.

The man staggered back and fell to a knee. "X-xion... how... how could you... betray us like this?"

She felt numb. "I... I didn't mean... didn't mean to..."

She watched as the man collapsed and disintegrated. She... she hadn't meant to kill him... just... knock the book away... and then maybe knock him unconscious... this... she didn't understand, where was all of this power coming from? She hadn't even meant to put that much into it!

_Xion! You had... no choice... you have to go, now! They're... coming!_

Xion closed her eyes, took a ragged breath, and recalled Oathkeeper to herself, and fled as a hoard of lesser Nobodies entered the room and gave chase. Tapping into her 'true power' as the Voice had said, made her far faster than them though. She didn't understand, she hadn't been this strong even when she had called our the second keyblade against the Ascended. What was going on?

She kept on going, not even stopping to fight lesser Nobodies anymore. She came out to Nothing's Call, she was almost there! Wait... was that Saix?

The man blocked the exit and stared coldly at her. "The Organization doesn't accept resignations."

Xion frowned and twirled her keyblades. "To bad, I'm leaving."

Saix eyed the two keyblades before summoning his claymore. "So be it."

Xion readied herself, and watched curiously as Saix raised his hands into the air, an overhead panel pulling back to reveal Kingdom Hearts high in the sky. "Can you feel it? The Moon's power?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Moon shine down!" he roared as he rose into the air.

_Uh... do you feel that...?_

Saix roared and landed on the ground, glowing with blue fire before he flew at her in a berserker like rage. Xion yelped and brought both of her keyblades up to block as he slammed his claymore against her weapons, blue fire exploding on impact and sending her staggering. Holy crap...

Xion leaped back as Saix roared and leaped into the air, throwing his claymore down and releasing a huge explosion of blue fire. He landed, grabbed it, and rushed at him again. Xion met him head on, swinging both of her keyblades to meet his claymore. Blue fire and light exploded on contact and both of them struggled to overpower the other. The broke off and began smashing their weapons against one another in flurry of sparking steel, light, and blue fire.

Finally, Xion got an opportunity, parrying aside an overreaching blow, making him stumble a bit, and slashing her other Keyblade into his shoulder. That knocked Saix back, making him stagger a bit. When he stopped, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I misjudged you," said Saix, "To fight me head on in this state, you are far more than just some little girl."

"No more games," he warned.

Xion tensed and readied herself as the area visably began to darken.

"All shall be lost to you!" snarled out Saix.

_Xion!_

She dove as Saix blitzed forward, swinging his claymore and unleashing a nova of blue fire. He kept on going, moving in a circle to try and hit her, unleashing novas as he went. He leapt up into the air and came down, slamming his claymore inches from her. She gave a cry as a nova washed over her and sent her flying. She barely managed to land on her feet and stagger. Saix surged forward, swinging his claymore in a forward motion and unleashing a wave of blue fire at her. Xion rolled out of the way and scrambled to try and evade him. What _WAS_ this?! This was insane!

She dove, ducked, and weaved as fast as she could, trying to evade his barrage of attacks. Some she did, some nicked her with a bit of fire, and his final attack hit her head on, bashing his claymore into her stomach, unleashing a burst of blue fire, and sending her rocketing back and slamming into a wall. Xion slumped to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain.

"D-damn...," she whispered.

Saix hefted his claymore over his shoulder. "Are we done number thirteen? I would prefer to get back to my normal duties rather than deal with your foolish antics."

Xion tried to stand up, only to collapse against the wall, groaning.

"I suppose I have my answer," said Saix, starting to move towards her.

_Xion... funny thing about light... it can be used to heal... did you know that?_

Xion's eyes went wide with recognition and placed a hand against her stomach, light emanating at the touch and washing away the damage.

Saix stopped moving. "What?"

Xion rose to her feet, narrowing her eyes at him. "My turn!"

She felt the light within her pulsating, ready and waiting to be unleashed. Unlike Saix though, the air did not darken as she unleashed her power, it went bright.

"Pearlstorm!" she cried out.

Dozens and dozens of homing pearl spells burst out of her body and rushed at the man, bombarding him over and over again. The man was sent crashing and cringing to the ground, light searing his coat and body with each hit. When the final spell hit and burst, he laid there, twitching in pain. Xion walked over and stood in front of him, staring down at him.

"Ngh... how much... longer...," muttered Saix, staring up at Kingdom Hearts in the sky.

Xion sighed and walked passed him, she had no desire to finish him off. Zexion had been an accident, she had no desire to kill any of her former comrades, save Xehanort of course.

"Kingdom... Hearts... will your strength... never be mine...?" muttered Saix.

_Kingdom Hearts... isn't a power... people can just claim... it's so much more... an entity of light... the heart of all worlds..._

Xion nodded absentmindedly, more focused on the fact that she had actually just beat Saix... and aside from that super attack he did, it... hadn't been that hard of a fight. Just... what was going on? Where was this raw strength coming from?

She sighed and shook her head, making for the exit, and leaving the Castle That Never Was...


	18. Fleeting Freedom

The sight that met Xion when she exited the castle made her start sweating buckets. There was a collection of Nobodies gathered with their weapons ready, including...

"Xion!" came Xifta's voice, running up over to her, "What's going on? We've received an alert of an alarm in the castle!"

Oh, so they didn't know. Uhh...

_Improvise!_

"There's a powerful intruder in the castle, he... um... killed Zexion," she said quietly.

Xifta's eyes went wide as a startled gasp went through the ground. "One of the Core Organization Members has fallen?"

Xion nodded and pointed back to the castle. "I was sent to get help, go, I'm heading to Nothing's Watch."

Without a word, Xifta and the rest of them barged into the castle. She watched them go, a little sad to have to lie to her. So much for saying goodbye...

"So... you're mind's made up?" came a familiar voice.

Xion turned her head, sighting Axel, dressed in a new and none-damaged cloak, leaning against a building, eyes on the ground. She wondered how he had gotten away from Xigbar. Larxene maybe? For a brief second, she questioned if he was here to stop her, no, Axel would never raise a weapon towards her.

"Who is Kairi. Why do I have her Keyblade? Why am I seeing her memories? I have to know," she said.

Axel slowly pushed off the building, his voice having an edge to it as he spoke, "Xion! Leaving quietly is one thing, but killing Zexion and making a mess? You can't turn on the Organization like this! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"

Xion gave him a sad smile and started walking passed him. "I'm not sure how many of them would actually miss me..."

Axel grabbed her arm, a pained look on his face. "Don't you dare say that, you know it's not true... because I... I would miss you Xion..."

He closed his eyes. "I couldn't bear to lose you Xion. You... I swear you make me feel like I have a heart."

_That's because... he probably does... you both do... you both are growing fledgling hearts... to replace what was lost... or what was never there...  
_

"What?" she whispered in disbelief, "We have... hearts?"

Axel's eyebrows furrowed and let go of her arm. "Xion?"

She hesitated before turning to him and coming clean, "Axel... ever since I first woke up, I've... had a companion, a voice in my head talking to me. She told me were growing new hearts."

Axel's contemplated it for a moment, looking lost, but still, his eyes narrowed. "And is she telling you to do this, to turn on us and leave?"

Xion was a bit surprised he didn't think she was insane.

_I think... he might have an... idea of whats going on..._

Xion stared at Axel, silently.

_Xion... just... forget all of this... forget the Organization and... Xehanort. Run away with Axel... grow out your hearts... and live the rest of your lives... happy and free..._

"What does she want huh? For you to go to the Keybearers?" said Axel bitingly, "She'll get you killed Xion!"

She didn't know what the Keybearers had to do with this, but...

She extended a hand towards him, offering him a smile. "She just told me to run away with you Axel, to live happy and free. To regrow our hearts together."

Axel looked shocked, speechless. "I..."

He hesitated, looking down at her hand. "Xion, where would we go?"

"To Aqua," said Xion, "You got her to agree to taking me in, I'm sure she'll take you in too."

"I don't know if she could keep us safe from the entirety of the Organization if the Superior sent the others after us," admitted Axel, "She's strong, but she's still only one person."

"Please Axel," she begged, "Come with me. If Aqua doesn't work out, then we will find somewhere else. There's so many worlds out there to hide in if we have to."

Axel hesitated for a moment longer before slowly, his hand extended and her grasped hers. She smiled a warm smile at him before turning and making a Dark Corridor that they went through together. They came out before the Twilight Town Mansion and walked up to the door, knocking softly.

There was a pattering of feet before Olette opened the door. "Xion!"

The girl paused briefly, growing confused. "What's with your hair? It's all kind of... reddish?"

Xion blinked a few times. "All?"

She looked at her face. "You almost look like..."

She took notice of Axel. "Oh, and Axel too, hi, what brings..."

She paused, noting their held hands, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "What brings _you two_ here huh?"

Axel coughed and pulled his hand away from Xion's. "Uh... trouble."

Olette frowned. "Trouble...?"

"Let them inside Olette," came Aqua's voice.

Olette moved aside, and they walked in, sighting Aqua walking down the steps towards them.

"Aqua," said Xion, "You said you'd take me in, right? If I had to leave the Organization?"

Aqua nodded. "I did."

"Would you take Axel in as well?" Xion pleaded.

Aqua frowned, her eyes shifting back and forth between them. "I suppose, if I must."

Xion smiled a wide smile, and for a moment, she felt a little dizzy with happiness, her voice sounding odd. "Thank you Master Aqua!"

The woman froze before looking at her sharply. "Why did you call me that?"

Xion blinked a few times, raising a hand to her lips. "I... don't know..."

"If were gonna stay here Xion, we can't keep things from her, she needs to know what happened," said Axel.

Xion bit her lip nervously, hoping Aqua wouldn't go back on what she said. "I... I've been seeing Kairi's memories. I use her Keyblade. I went to see Mesaxn about it, and he told me when I asked that it was impossible for me to be Kairi's Nobody, since she's a Princess of Heart, since she has no darkness in her heart and can't make a Heartless."

Aqua crossed her arms in thought. "A Princess of Heart... hmm... the notion is vaguely familiar to me."

"I went to confront the Superior, I didn't tell him what I had learned. When I finally got an answer it out him, it was a lie. He told me that I was Kairi's Nobody," said Xion, "So I left. But... um... they tried to stop me. I killed a lot of lesser Nobodies, I... killed Zexion, and beat Saix."

"Wait what? Saix?" said Axel, "I uh... only heard about Zexion before I took off."

Xion gave him a sheephish look. "He really hurts ya know."

"So what you're saying," said Aqua thinly, interrupting them, "Is that I can expect hostility from the Organization if I allow you to stay."

"Don't even think about it Aqua," said Olette sternly, "They're staying!"

Aqua frowned at her. "Do you realize what that means for you Olette? If I house them, you will become a target to get at me."

Olette crossed her arms. "Hmph. You taught me how to use magic, I'll be fine."

Aqua deadpanned. "Olette, you'd be lucky to be able to handle a Dusk at your stage of magic and training."

Olette's face flushed red with embarrassment and she looked down, kicking the floor. "Stupid Aqua..."

Aqua didn't look phased. "If I did this, you'd have to leave everything behind and live here to be safe. Would you really be willing to give up your family, school, and your other friends for..."

"Yes," answered Olette.

Aqua said nothing, simply staring at her.

Olette turned to Xion. "I'm scared for you Xion. When you told me they made you kill someone. All the lying they do to you, and this... trying to keep you a prisoner in their Organization. You're my friend, so if I have to give up a little freedom to keep you safe, I'm willing to do so."

Xion stared at her, speechless.

_I can see... why Aqua's Nobody... cares for her so much..._

"Somebodies sure are something, aren't they Xion?" said Axel sheepishly, "Jeez..."

A chuckle sounded from the doorway behind him. "Ya know, I expected you to come here to get her help to fight Xehnort, not to run away."

Xion and Axel whirled to see Xigbar standing there.

"Olette, back," ordered Aqua, stepping forward.

"Wait," said Xion, holding out a hand to stop Aqua, "He's not here to attack us."

Aqua paused briefly and focused on Xigbar. "You... I know you from somewhere..."

Xigbar grinned at her. "Been awhile 'Master Aqua', good ten years or so since that showdown with Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard."

Aqua said nothing, staring at him silently.

"I remember where my loyalties lie," said Xigbar, "We cut a deal, you and I, back when you were a full person to stop Xehanort. I think, had it been your choice, you woulda came through on your end of the bargain, but, I saw his eyes glowing in yours, you didn't have a chance. I've been out Xion and Kairi as a show of good faith to you. So, after all this is over, and were back to who we were before, I expect you to fulfill your end of the bargain."

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. And Kairi...?

_What... is he up to?_

Aqua stared at him, slightly confused. "I do not remember any deal, and what makes you think I can become whole again?"

Xigbar just laughed. "What indeed."

Aqua glared at him.

"Ah! There it is," said Xigbar with mock glee, "That Keybearer glare, man, it's been awhile since I've seen that. Wonder how mine will look if I ever get one of those."

"Xigbar, why are you here?" said Axel.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the door before glancing at Xion, ignoring Axel. "So, you'd really be willing to just hang out here and not stop Xehanort? Even with what he has planned?"

Axel placed a hand on Xion's shoulder. "We're through with that crap Xigbar, get lost."

Xion stared at Xigbar silently before she willingly took his bait. "What plan?"

"You know what he says about Kingdom Hearts, right? That it can give us back our hearts?" said Xigbar.

Xion nodded.

"Well, he does want to give out hearts, thirteen to be exact, thirteen copies of his own," said Xigbar.

Xion stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"He could have done it by now, but he got greedy with all the potential vessels," said Xigbar, "What he wants to do is hook up thirteen people to Kingdom Hearts, implant copies of his heart in them, and turn them into Vessels, copies of himself, in order to turn them into the thirteen Seekers of Darkness."

"What?!" she said, shocked.

"Son of a bitch, I always wondered if the big floating heart in the sky was to good to be true," muttered Axel.

"Why?" demanded Xion.

"Thirteen darknesses, to clash against seven lights, and make the ultimate key...," began Xigbar.

"The kye-blade," murmured Aqua, "Or, X-Blade I suppose, same difference."

"Ah! You remember it?" asked Xigbar.

"Faintly," said Aqua, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "I don't remember much else about it."

Xigbar nodded. "Figured as much. That means though, that you don't remember what someone can do with the X-Blade, do you?"

Xion took a step forward. "What do you mean?"

"If Xehanort gets the X-Blade, he can open the door to the real Kingdom Hearts, and remake the worlds as he sees fit," said Xigbar.

Xion's eyes went wide with shock. "W-what?!"

_He's... serious... Xion... shit... I wanted you... to be free... but... we have to... stop Xehanort... we have to set... Kingdom Hearts free...  
_

Axel crossed his arms and murmured. "There wont be a safe place for us if he can just remake the worlds like that."

Xigbar grinned at Xion. "So then kiddo, what will you do?"

Xion stared at him silently for a minute. She had been so close... she had tasted it for a second, to be here, free of the Organization and Xehanort, only for this to happen...

_I'm so sorry... Xion..._

"I'll stop him," said Xion firmly, "I suppose I already made a promise to do so anyway."

Xigbar nodded and walked passed her to stand beside Axel, facing Aqua. "So then bluebird, what say you?"

Aqua stared at him silently.

Xigbar breifly eyed Axel. "And you flamsilocks? You gonna let your girl go it alone?"

Axel glared at him, a little flustered. "O-of course not!"

Xion's heart skipped a beat. Axel... he was going to try and come with her? No... that would put him in danger!

" _Miss Voice, do you know how to knock someone out real quick?_ " asked Xion.

_A hit... on the back of the neck... can do it if... you hit the right spot... why?_

Xion summoned her keyblades, reversed her grips, and surged forward and leaped, smashing the handles into the backs of Xigbar and Axel's necks. The two men crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"X-xion!" squeaked out Olette, "What are you doing?!"

Xion stared at Aqua's questioning eyes. "Look after Axel for me, please. I don't want him, don't want any of you to get involved and get hurt."

_Xion... we could really... use their help..._

" _I'm NOT letting them get hurt!_ " hissed Xion.

Aqua stared at her silently for a moment. "As you wish."

Xion gave Aqua and Olette a warm, but sad smile before turning and walking out of the mansion. She'd do this alone. She wasn't going to endanger her friends. Those she cared for. She took a deep breath and got ready to make a Dark Corridor back to the castle...

_Xion... before we go back... can I make a request?_

Xion lowered her hand. " _Umm, sure?_ "

_We... never found my... Grandma when we... were in Radiant Garden... can we please... go look for her? I... want to see her... at least one last time..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Last time?"

_Uh... just incase we... don't make it..._

"We?" questioned Xion.

Silence.

Xion sighed and shook her head. "Fine, I'll go see if we can't find your grandma."

Xion opened a corridor and took it to Radiant Garden, back to the reactor she had briefly 'fought' Riku at. She resumed her search for the elderly woman. It was much more easier this time, she had a faint image of who she was looking for in her head now.

No, she had more than just an image...

* * *

_Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away._

* * *

Xion closed her eyes, a wistful smile on her face as the story, as Grandma's words, echoed through her mind. "Grandma..."

She remembered, all the sudden, walking down a path, along the city streets, to a house where the elderly woman resided. She smiled softly and left the reactor area, going into the city. She followed the memory, and came to a tiny little cottage at the edge of the town, overlooking a great maw like area.

It was a quite placed, a small fence surrounding it. It looked like someone, perhaps the little girl in her memories, had painted flowers all over it. There was a tiny little vegtable garden to the right of the cottage. But there... on the porch, sitting in a rocker, was an elderly woman...

Puffy gray hair, an old, sagging, but nice face. She wore a purple dress, with a white apron over it. The woman... seemed sad, sitting in the rocker, lost in a memory...

_G-grandma... oh Grandma... please don't be sad over me..._

Xion wanted to go to the woman, to hug all her sadness away...

_You... you have to go... Xion... if we win... you can come back... and make her happy... for the both of us..._

Xion nodded absent mindedly and turned away from the house walking away.

_Alright... lets do it..._

" _Not yet, there's something I want to do here too,_ " said Xion.

_What?_

" _That photo of that little girl... I want to see if Riku put it back at the plaque_ ," said Xion.

_Xion... there's no time... for that..._

" _Says the one who made me go track down her grandma_ ," scolded Xion.

...

" _I got you there_ ," said Xion cheekily.

As Xion made for the central square, just before she reached it, something clicked for her.

" _Wait a second... that's your grandma_ ," said Xion, " _But, if she's your grandma... and I have Kairi's memories of her... are you..._ "

She didn't get to finish her question as she entered the square. She trailed off, taking the place in. The flowers and mass of pictures had been taken down, leaving only the plaque embedded in the ground. However, it wasn't the plaque that caught her eye.

It was who was standing over it, staring down at it sadly.

It was the boy from the memories...

The one with spiky hair... blue eyes... and a kind face.

It was...

"Sora..."


	19. The Other Promise

The boy turned at the sound of his name, pausing to stare at her in surprise. "What the... Kairi?!"

Xion didn't correct him, lost in taking in the sight of him...

Brown, messy, and super spiky. His eyes were blue, kind, yet heavily sad at the moment, ignoring the surprise at seeing her. He had a white haori on that was lined black. Underneath the haori was a dark red shirt with a white zipper going all the way down to his pants. The zipper was shaped like the Keyblade symbol. His bottom was baggy, and stopped at his knees. On his hands were two white finger-less gloves with a blue buckle wrapped around them, that same symbol, one she was starting to think had something to do with the Keyblade, on the top of the gloves. She also noticed a brown piece of armor seeming to be attached to his shoulder with a button on it.

Sora's eyes furrowed. "No, your not..."

"I'm... Xion," she offered quietly.

_Xion... just go... now..._

There was a pained and remorseful edge to the Voice's tone that made Xion feel a bit sad.

Sora's eyes went wide and then narrowed. "Wait, your Xion?"

It hurt Xion, to see the distrust in the boys eyes. "..."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment before sighing. "Thank you."

She was caught offguard. "Huh? For what?"

Sora opened his eyes, which were softer than they were before. "Riku's my best friend. You could have let Riku die. But, you got the other Nobody to stop and spare him."

Xion smiled a little at that. "I didn't really want to fight him to begin with."

She pouted a little. "If you could call it a fight, he kinda trashed me."

Sora smirked and put his hands behind the back of his head. "Yeah, he still wins most of our spars too."

Xion couldn't help but giggle a little. It was... comforting... to be around the boy. He came off as kind and carefree almost immediately, regardless of the bits and pieces of memories she had gained about him.

Slowly, the boys smirk faded, and his hands lowered to his side, he gazed intently at Xion, looking her over. "They were right. You look and feel like her, though, they said your hair was mostly black, not mostly red."

Xion sighed. "You mean like Kairi? I get that a lot."

Sora had a hint of a smile on his face, but, there was worry in his eyes.

"As for the red part, I don't really know why it started changing, it just did," she admitted.

_Xion... your not... taking him seriously... enough... stop wasting time... and go before... he acts..._

Xion was hesitant to listen, she had a hard time believing this boy would suddenly just attack her out of nowhere.

Sora slowly lowered his eyes to her chest and stared, making her feel a little awkward.

_Xion... Xion go... now..._

Sora closed his eyes and sighed. "So Riku was right after all, I can feel it, I can feel _her_."

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Her? What do you mean?"

Sora opened his eyes, anger in them. "I can feel her pain."

Xion took a hesitant step back. "I don't... understand..."

Sora's eyes searched hers. "Kairi... are you still in there somewhere...?"

_Sora... I..._

Xion frowned. "That's right, the memories... you know her, don't you?"

Sora blinked a few times. "Memories?"

"I've been getting Kairi's memories for some reason," she admitted to him.

That seemed to alarm him, his fists tightening. "Getting? Or taking?"

She glared at him. "I never asked for them! If I'm somehow taking them, I don't want them!"

Sora blinked a few times, his fists relaxing. He studied her for a moment.

"Would you give them back then, willingly?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged. "They're not mine to begin with."

That appeared to put the boy at ease.

She hesitated. "You know who she is, really who she is, right?"

He nodded.

"I've been asking so many people, about who she is, why I look like her, what my connection is to her, why all of this is happening, but I just keep getting lied to or people dance around the truth," she admitted with frustration, "So I wanna know, who is she?"

"My friend," he answered, "Someone who means a lot to me."

_Sora..._

"Xion... I don't think you're as bad as the Masters seem to think you are," he said, "So please, come with me."

"As bad?!" she exclaimed, "Excuse me?!"

Sora winced a little. "Uh... wrong choice of words..."

She glared at him. "Hmph..."

"Oh wow, you even have her glare," said Sora, taking a little nervous step back, "And a bit of her temper..."

_Pff..._

"Sora, I have something I have to do," she said, forcing her irritation at the boy away, "I can't go with you right now."

"Xion, please, come with me," he tried again, "Come see Kairi."

She froze. "S-see Kairi? You know where she is?!"

He nodded. "I do. If you come with me, maybe... maybe Aurora can find a way to..."

He trailed off, as if uncertain of his words...

_Xion... it's a trap... don't... if you go with him... there will be... six Keybearers... and an old wizard... to keep you imprisoned... and even with the Cornerstone's power... those odds aren't good..._

She felt uncertain... she wanted to see Kairi... but...

_You... you can always... go see her later... right?_

Well... that was true.

"Sora, I'll go see her later, alright? I have something I have to go do," she said.

"I can't let you go Xion," said Sora, "You have to come back with me."

Now she was starting to get a little miffed. "I don't have to go with you anywhere actually."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "I made a promise Xion, I promised that I'd protect Kairi, and I intend to fulfill it. If I don't protect her now, I don't think I'll get another chance."

Xion narrowed her eyes right back at him. "And I made a promise too Sora, I promised to stop Xehanort and free Kingdom Hearts, and I intend to fulfill it. If I don't stop him now, none of us might get a chance to do anything."

Sora was surprised at her words. "Wait what? Your not with the Organization?"

"Not anymore, I left, kind of had to fight my way out," she admitted.

Slowly, he offered a hand. "If you're really against them... then come with me. Come see Kairi, and together, all of us will take down Xehanort."

She shook her head. "If I wanted help, I would have had Aqua, Axel, and Xigbar come with me. I don't want to put anyone else in danger."

"Aqua...," he murmured, "I never thought to check with her..."

He shook his head. "Xion... please come back with me."

She rolled her eyes. "We've been over this Sora, the answer is N O, no."

Sora sighed and summoned his Keyblade, Oblivion. "Guess were doing this the hard way then."

Xion summoned both Oathkeeper and Two-Became One. "Guess we are."

Sora's eyes went wide with surprise. "Two Keyblades?!"

He froze, glancing at Oathkeeper. "What the?"

She followed his eyes, and noted Oathkeeper looked even more broken than before.

Sora tensed and gripped his Keyblade tightly. "If that means what I think it does, she has even less time than I thought."

She glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

A light, a powerful and intense light began to surround Sora, flickers of blue lightning coursing over his body. Damn... that was a lot of power for someone that age. He could have probably taken Saix head on himself. Still though... compared to what she felt churning within herself...

_Try not... to hurt him... too much... and please... don't kill him..._

" _I wont kill him, can't promise on the hurt too much part though_ ," she added in cheekily.

_Yeah... his overly cheery attitude... does make you want... to punch him sometimes..._

" _Know from experience?_ " she asked.

_Yeah..._

She smirked at that and focused on channeling her own power. Light erupted around her in a shockwave, making Sora flinch a little, his eyes going wide.

"What? Kairi was strong, but... nowhere near this strong!" he said in disbelief.

Xion frowned. "What does Kairi's strength have to do with mine?"

Sora said nothing, eying her warily.

Xion grumbled quietly about people always hiding things from her before raising her voice, "Sora, I'm giving you a chance to give up and go."

Sora slowly shook his head. "I won't abandon Kairi. Even if the odds are against me, I won't give up on her."

Her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't understand, why did he want her to meet Kairi so badly as to fight her? Why did he act as if meeting someone was life or death?

A disturbing thought hit her: Was it?

Sora didn't give her a chance to think on it anymore, blitzing forward with unbridled determination and starting off with Ars Arcanium, his Keyblade becoming blur. Xion backpeddled and parried aside each strike, wincing at the ferocity. He was serious...

Xion countered after blocking the finishing blow, kicking out his knee and swinging for his shoulder. The boy rolled with the kick, coming away from her blow then surging at her with a Sonic Blade. She barely managed to parry the blow before turning, expecting him to be zooming at her again. She gave a yelp when she found he had ended the move early and instead launched a Strike Raid at her. She staggered to block, stumbling away, and gave a surprised gasp of pain when he resumed his earlier Sonic Blade as if he had never stopped, taking advantage of her unbalanced state to come at her again and again, the final blow flooring her to the ground.

_That was... crafty of him... to mix moves like that..._

Xion rolled and sprung up, aiming a Keyblade at him. "Shock!"

"Reflect!" he countered.

Xion was sent flying by her own attack, landing on her back. She ground her teeth and rose to her feet, frowning at him.

"Thunderga!" he yelled, aiming his keyblade into the sky.

Xion's eyes went wide, and she raised her keyblade to block as the lightning crashed down from above, cringing at the shocking sensation.

"Ragnorak!" cried out Sora.

Before she could react, he was upon her, slashing her again and again before booting her into the air and unleashing a circle of homing energy bolts at her.

"Enough!" she cried out.

She swung her keyblades in an arc, unleashing twin waves of light that blasted aside the missiles. She landed clumsily on her feet, before staggering a bit, cradling her stomach painfully. She healed off the wounds with a bit of light and narrowed her eyes at the boy as he rushed at her, ice starting to coat his keyblade. He had an incredible assortment of abilities, and fast too...

_He's a... jack of all trades... good with everything... but not specialized... we have one advantage... our light and raw power... he has everything else..._

Xion blocked his blow, wincing as the ice around his keyblade shattered and nicked her. She brought her other keyblade around to swipe at his shoulder, he ducked and dragged his keyblade down against hers, slashing it below her guard and into her knees. She yelped in pain and fell back onto her butt.

_SWAT!_

Sora swung twice and smashed her Keyblades out of her hands before pointing his Keyblade at her face. "Enough!"

But she wasn't done.

Xion aimed her hands at him and unleashed a burst of light, throwing him back. She massaged her knee with light, healing it and rising to her feet. She tried to will her keyblades back to her, but was astonished when Sora held out his hands and called them to him instead, making them float behind him.

_Did he... just STEAL... our keyblades?!_

Sora blitzed at her, Keyblades swirling through the air.

_XION! DO SOMETHING!_

Seeing no way to really dodge, she did the only thing that came to mind. She met his charge head on and threw herself at him. He was taken off-guard as she tackled him into the ground, the clattering of keyblades ringing in her ears as they rolled and struggled. Xion pinned him below her, only to yelp as he smashed his head forward into hers. She was stunned for a moment, before he brought his knees up to kick her off. Xion's hands found a keyblade as she went, Two-Became One, and grabbed it as she rolled, springing to her feet.

Sora picked up Oathkeeper and Oblivion before charging at her.

_Xion! Your stronger... than him... force it!  
_

Sora swung Oblivion at her, and she blocked with her Keyblade. He brought Oathkeeper down to swipe at her leg, only for Xion's hand to lash out and grab the handle. They struggled for a moment, before slowly, she began to overpower his Keyblade, and then yanked Oathkeeper from his grip. He staggered a bit, and yelped when she tripped him, making him stagger. She swiped Oathkeeper across his back, making him cry out and sending him face-first into the square's floor.

_Stock Break! End it!_

Xion did as instructed and leaped into the air, coming down and stabbing her keyblades into the ground next to Sora. "Stock Break!

Light exploded from her weapons, washing over the boy with it's energy, sending Sora screaming through the air where he landed on his back in a heap, looking unconscious.

Xion stared at the boy. "Jeez..."

_He's... a lot more talented... than I thought he was...  
_

Xion stared down at Oblivion at her feet before putting Oathkeeper under her armpit and picking it up.

_Uh... what are... you doing?_

Xion walked over to Sora and raised Oblivion into the air...

_X-xion!_

She stabbed the keyblade down next to Sora's head and sighed, shaking her head and starting to walk away. She paused when she heard a rustling behind her. She turned, sighting Sora grabbing Oblivion and struggling to use it to pull himself up.

"You're a stubborn guy," Xion muttered.

"Yeah...," he muttered, "Me and Kairi have that... in common."

Sora took a deep breath and raised Oblivion into the air. "Curaga!"

Oh great... round two then.

Instead of fighting her head on like before, he leaped back and aimed a keyblade at her. "Mega Flare!"

_Mega what?_

A huge orb of fire burst out of his keyblade at her. Xion didn't hesitate, she threw Oathkeeper like a spear directly into it. The ball exploded in a massive torrent of fire that made Xion cry out and raise her arms to shield herself...

"Thunder Surge!" came a cry.

Xion screamed as Sora slammed into her, driving an elbow coated with lightning right into her stomach. She flew back and rolled along the ground, cringing and staggering to her feet. She was about sick of this...

"Blizzaga! Firega! Thundaga!" cried out the boy.

Oh come on!

Xion dodged, weaved, or batted aside spells with her Keyblades. Sora kept backing away, trying to pepper her with spells at a distance.

_He lost... a bit of strength with... that Stock Break he took... can't fight you head on... anymore... close the distance... and you win..._

Close the distance huh?

Xion aimed a hand, forming a Dark Corridor and blitzing through. She came out behind Sora and swung both keyblades, slashing into the back of his legs. The boy cried out and fell to his knees. He pitched forward, putting a hand out for support.

He struggled to raise a keyblade into the air. "C-cur..."

Xion swing and batted the Keyblade out of his hand and pointed the other at his face. "Enough Sora, you can't win."

Sora bowed his head, his hands going to his thighs...

Before bringing a potion of some kind out of his pocket and rolling away, guzzling it down.

_That crafty... little shit!_

Sora bolted to his feet and willed Oblivion back to him, tossing aside the empty potion bottle, flourishing his keyblade out before him. "Tornado Strike!"

_Wait that's Ven's..._

Xion didn't have a chance to react as wind blasted out of Sora, knocking her up into the air and bombarding her with energy. He kept it up, blasting her back up and down until it ended, dropping her to the ground with a heavy thud. Xion made up her mind then and there, as she slowly rose to her feet, that she did _NOT_ like fighting against Sora.

She had told the Voice she wasn't going to kill him, but she was **_DONE_ ** with this!

Light engulfed her body in a heavy glow as she tapped fully into her power and blitzed at him at remarkable speeds, keyblades shinning heavily. Sora's eyes went wide and he started to backpedal. She tore into him, Keyblades smashing into his and ripping across him when he couldn't block. With a heavy 'Hiya!' she booted his stomach, sending him crashing to the ground, Oblivion sliding away from him.

Xion glared down at him. "Are you done yet?"

Sore panted, struggling to sit up, his face red with exertion and pain. He slowly rose to his feet, willed Oblivion back to him, and put his hands on his knees for support.

"C..curaga!" he cried out.

By the light... why?

"Why wont you quit?" she yelled.

He stared at her for a moment, face scrunched up in furious thought, before something appeared to dawn on him.

He grinned at her. "Come on Kairi, I thought you were stronger than that."

Xion blinked a few times, baffled. "What? Get real, look at which one of us is winning."

He looked at her, a desperate, but victorious smile on his face. "I knew you were still in there. Come on Kairi! Fight her and help me! We're a team! We can win this!"

_That... idiot... he doesn't... understand..._

It took Xion a second to catch up with what he had said, and what she had said back. She brought a hand up to her mouth, confused, and growing upset.

"What are you talking about?!" she yelled at him, brandishing her Keyblades, "I'm so sick of this! I'm not Kairi! I am me, nobody else!"

Sora's eyes went wide with panic as she charged him. "What? But I thought I got through to..."

She didn't give him a chance to finish, she blitzed passed him, slicing him heavily with Oathkeeper as she went before turning and slashing Two-Became One down his back. He cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, Oblivion clattering to his side.

_Xion... I'm sorry about this... but I need... to talk to him... one last time..._

Xion blinked. " _What are you..._ "

* * *

Kairi didn't give her a chance to finish. She pushed passed her and briefly incapacitated Xion's consciousness. It took way to much of her remaining strength to do so. She didn't think... after this... if Xion went right for Organization Thirteen... that she'd survive the day.

That... was fine though.

She had come to terms with her fate.

As much as she didn't want to...

She walked over to Sora and glanced down at him sadly. "Sora... I'm sorry."

Sora turned his head and weakly glanced up at her. "K...Kairi?"

She knelt down next to him. "This... is the way things have to be... Sora..."

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"It's her... or me," she said softly, "And I won't... murder her for my own sake."

"Kairi... please...," he begged, tears in his eyes, "I don't want you to die..."

She chocked a little. "I... I don't want to either Sora... but... if it means sparing Xion... and beating Xehanort... I can be content."

"No... please no...," he begged again, starting to cry.

"Sora, you were... a good friend," she admitted, "The times you... helped and comforted me... after Aqua's Heartless kept damaging my heart, meant so much to me."

She smiled sadly at him. "Though, I never... really said it to you... I was to prideful I guess..."

She laughed a little. "How meaningless a thing that really is... when your in your last hours..."

"Kairi...," he said, speechless.

"What I'm trying to say Sora," she said, "Is thank you... for caring about me... as much as I didn't deserve it."

She watched, astonished, as Sora struggled to try and rise to his feet, grasping Oblivion. "You... stupid... insufferable..."

"Dammit Kairi!" he yelled, managing to stagger to his feet, "I'm not letting... you go off and die!"

Kairi sprang back as he swung his keyblade at her. "Really Sora? How many times do we have to beat you?"

"As many... as it takes," he snarled, "If I have to save you... from yourself, then so be it."

"I'm not letting you go," he whispered with such desperation it rattled her.

"Sora...," was all she could say.

"I care about you too much. To be honest, I think, even through the hell you put me through sometimes...," he began.

He gave her a cheeky grin. "Boot to the stomach included..."

He looked her dead in the eye and smiled. "I think... that I might lov..."

She blurred, surging behind him and slammed Oathkeeper into the back of his head to cut him off. She watched, pained as he collapsed to the ground. She chocked a bit, trying to hold back her tears. She had stopped him, right then and there, because if he had finished saying what she thought he was going to say, she might not have had it in her to go through with it.

She knelt down and rolled him over, staring down at his unconscious face. "S-sora... how could you even feel anything for... someone like me?"

"I was... mean, rude, downright cruel and so much of a bitch... to you on so many different occasions," she whispered, "How... how could you even think to... to..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it. She stared down at him, silently, tears going down her face. She hesitated before she slowly leaned down and kissed him. She pulled away, crying quietly. It was cruel to do to him, and to herself. But... if she was going to die soon... it would be nice, to have had her first kiss, even if it was through Xion. Though Sora would never know.

She had never even given love and relationships outside of family any serious thought. She treated them indifferently, thinking it was kind of adorable to watch others go through with them, or the occasional awkward boy who approached her back in Traverse Town. She didn't think they were worth it, with the chance to die at any time to the Heartless...

But this... to see him struggle so much for her... and all the times he had been there for her before... she could remember when he cried for her... to not go, when she had fallen... into sleep after Aqua's Heartless... had nearly destroyed her heart...

She sniffled a little bit and rose to her feet. "Goodbye Sora... please... don't be sad."

She closed her eyes. "If... things had been different... maybe you and I..."

She took a ragged breath and forced away the words and thoughts. Her fate was sealed, there was no going back. She receded her conscious, and fell back into her platform in her nearly depleted heart, figuring this would be the last time she ever saw him...

* * *

Xion staggered, coming to and blinked furiously. "What... just happened?

_I... it's... nothing... we... we... won..._

What the heck? The Voice sounded severely weaker than she had been mere minutes ago.

Xion's eyes furrowed. " _Miss Voice? Are you okay?_ "

_Y...yes... let's go... X-Xion..._

Xion frowned before an she felt an odd sensation. She brought her hands up to her face and came away with teardrops. Had she been crying for some reason? And her lips... they felt... warm?

There was a heavy pained sob from the Voice at her thoughts.

" _Miss Voice?_ " asked Xion, worried.

_Just... go... and end... it..._

She hesitated briefly, gave Sora one last look, before opening a Dark Corridor back to the World That Never Was...


	20. The Return

Xion came out, oddly, in the Alleyway to between. "Strange... I swore I made the Corridor right to my room."

_Castle... probably... shielded..._

Xion frowned, feeling anxious. "Miss Voice... I mean it, are you okay? Do you need me to go rest for a week or something?"

_No... time... left..._

She hesitated. "I... I know I have to stop Xehanort, but... you don't sound so good, at all.

_It's... fine..._

Xion sighed and started walking through the city. She didn't get far before she was stopped, a number of Nobodies barring her way, weapons drawn.

"Xion! What the heck?" came a cry.

Xion turned her head to see Xuffiey approach, looking almost distraught. "YOU were the cause of the alarm? You turned on your own comrades? On the Organization?"

"I did what I had to do," she said simply, eyeing the crowd.

This... might get complicated.

"And what, exactly, was it, that you deemed it so appropriate in order to murder one of our own?" came a cold voice.

Xion turned to see Xithera coming behind her, her staff in her hands.

"Xehanort is a liar, he's not going to use Kingdom Hearts to help any of you," Xion replied.

There was a bunch of scoffs through the crowd.

"Yeah right, the Superior has been looking out for us from the start! For the last ten years!" came someones Voice.

"You are in a whole mess of trouble kid," came Dxic's voice, spear in the man's hands.

_X-xion... this is... bad..._

"Xion," came a stern voice.

She turned her head to see Nexol approach, he didn't have his sword drawn, but he had a hard look on his face. "Your going to have to come with us. If you come quietly, we have the Superior's word you wont be killed."

"She ought to be executed!" came a cry.

"I'm already heading back to the Castle," said Xion simply, unfazed, giving Nexol a cold look.

Nexol frowned. "Willingly?"

"Let's just say, the Superior and I have... words... to discuss," she said coldly.

Nexol froze, staring at her in disbelief.

"That fuckin tone, I recognize dat anywhere," came Baxerrt's voice, "Kid? Did you seriously fucking say what I think you just said?"

Xion turned her eyes to eye the brown man, but said nothing in response.

"She just threatened the Superior!" came a empty angry voice.

When members of the crowd started towards her, Nothing's Watch spread out to keep them back.

"She's going to be taken, alive, back to the castle," warned Nexol, "Got it?"

Xion could have sighed. They thought they were helping, but they didn't understand.

"Xion, give us your weapon, now," demanded a 'very' angry Xifta, glaring at her.

"I can't do that Xifta," she began.

Xifta pursed her lips. "Xion, you _LIED_ to me. You had better give your Keyblade up, or else. I haven't had to discipline you in years, I really don't want to now."

Xion smiled softly, Oathkeeper and Two-Become One appearing in her hands and spoke cheekily, "Which one huh?"

Xifta's eyes went wide and took a step back. "Two?"

A murmur went up the crowd.

"Xion," said Xithera, "I suggest you reconsider. There are a great many of us, and only one of you. We do not wish you harmed or destroyed, if you fight us, that will be difficult to follow through on."

Xion stared at her silently. Inside however, she was full on panic. She wasn't scared, but, if she cut loose and unleashed her power to break through, she could easily accidentally kill one of those she cared about. She didn't want to do that. What was she supposed to do?

"Kupo!"

Xion paused at the strange noise and glanced up. She sighed Xokie and a flying Mogo next to her standing on a windowsill high above.

"Kupo! Eiko, use Terra Homing!" said the Moogle.

The girl smirked, twirled her flute, and and brought it to her lips. "'kay!"

The moogle vanished, and the ground around Xion exploded as a multi-colored mist coated the ground. Rocks were sent everywhere, bombarding the crowd of Nobodies and forcing them back. A giant winged lion like creature landed next to Xion and gave an ear splitting roar. What the...

_She... summoned... it... she's... a summoner... like Garnet..._

The lion roared, swinging its hands and unleashing a massive nova of blue light in all directions, sending the crowd flying back and crashing to the ground.

Xokie leapt down and onto the lion's shoulder. "Let's book it Mog!"

"Madeen," corrected the lion.

"Mog!" countered Xokie.

The lion sighed, grabbed Xion, and took off running.

"Uh... Xokie?" said Xion.

The little girl grinned a real grin down at her. "I've been spending so much time with Garnet, Xion. Ever since you brought me to her. I... I swear I began to feel little things, and then Mog came back to me!"

Xion smiled a warm smile at her. "You're starting to regrow your heart Xokie, or should I start calling you Eiko?"

The little girl thought for a moment before giggling. "Eiko! If what you said about the Superior is true, I don't want any name made by him!"

"It is true," said Xion.

Eiko scowled. "And of course the dumb grown ups don't believe you. Whatever, us kids gotta stick together then!"

Xion giggled. "Thanks!"

"Eiko, the summoning wont last much longer," warned Madeen/Mog.

"Just get us to the bridge to the Castle, I'll handle the rest," said Xion.

"Let's go Mog!" said Eiko with glee.

The lion nodded and gave a roar, barreling through a crowd of Nobodies and lesser Nobodies heading there way. They came to the Brink of Despair a moment later, and Madeen/Mog set them down before reverting to a Moogle in a flash of light. Xion eyed the see through bridge with a bit of remorse, wishing the last time she had ran down it had been, well, the last time.

"Alright, so we're gonna go bop the Superior? Right?" said Eiko.

Xion shook her head. "I am, you're going back to Garnet."

"Whaaaat?!" whined Eiko.

"This is something I have to do alone, I don't want anyone else getting hurt," said Xion.

"But Xion... you're my friend, and friends help one another," said Eiko, giving her a desperate look.

"I'll be fine," said Xion, starting across, "You already helped me out a lot. Thank you Eiko."

"Xion...," came a quiet whisper.

Xion started up the pathway to the castle, at the top, she turned, twirled her keyblades, and stabbed them into the bridge. The bridge shook and collapsed. She figured they'd be able to remake it, but not before she was done her. She glanced down sadly at Eiko, who was still at the other end, staring up at her sadly and... wait...

Xion's eyes went wide to see a man in rusty looking armor with the Nobody symbol on it and a sword drawn approach Eiko from behind. "Eiko! Look out!"

She didn't know if Eiko heard her, or felt it. The little girl turned...

Only for the man to grab her by the throat, lift her up, and drive his sword right through her.

"EIKO!" screamed Xion, shocked.

She watched, horrified, as the little girl's body faded into nothingness, the Moogle beside her vanished in a flash of light. She stood there, stunned and horrified.

"I... I should have... taken her with me," she whispered hoarsely.

_It's... not... your... fault..._

She glared hatefully down at the rusty armored man before more and more Nobodies began to show up at the other end. Xion saw Nothing's Watch standing there, staring at her almost pleadingly. She slowly turned away, and went into the castle, feeling bitter and angry. She was glad the moment lesser Nobodies appeared, they were just the outlet she wanted right now. She tore her way into the castle, cutting down each and every one of them until she reached Twilight's View.

There, waiting for her, were Xaldin and Lexaeus, weapons drawn.

"So, the traitor returns," said Xaldin, lances floating behind him at the ready.

"Xion," said Laxaeus calmly, "Have you returned out of sorrow, or revenge?"

Xion stared at him for a moment before answered, "Neither. I'm here to stop Xehanort and set Kingdom Hearts free."

"What?" demanded Xaldin, "You would rob us of our only way to get our hearts back?"

"It's a lie Xaldin!" she yelled at him, "The Superior is lying to you all! He's not going to use Kingdom Hearts to help anyone but himself!"

Xaldin scoffed. "Fool child, you honestly expect us to believe that?"

"I don't want to kill you," said Xion.

"You say that, yet Zexion met his end by your blade, and Saix is still in recovery," said Lexaeus.

"Zexion was an accident," said Xion, "I never meant to kill him, and I did give him a chance to leave."

"Zexion knew his duty to the Organization," said Lexaeus, hefting his sword over his shoulder, "So do we."

Xion frowned. "You two wont last five minutes in a fight, don't make me do this..."

"You fought Saix and Zexion alone, the two of us are more than capable of handling you together," said Xaldin.

Xion shook her head. "No, your not. Neither of you are as powerful as Sora was, and, I don't really know why, but I feel even stronger than I was when I beat him."

Xaldin frowned. "The Keybearer...?"

Xion brandished her Keyblades. "Back down or... what?"

She stared, baffled, at Oathkeeper. The Keyblade looked even worse than it had when she fought Sora. It looked almost completely broken, and Two-Become One looked almost completely whole. What was going on?

_Its... a... almost... t-time... X-xion..._

The pain in the Voice's voice wrenched at Xion's heart. Alright, enough was enough, she'd deal with this two, then it was time to figure out what the hell was going on.

She swung her Keyblades and unleashed twin waves of light, slamming into the two Nobodies and crashing them against the walls of the room. She aimed her Keyblades at them and unleashed twin Shocks, light exploading at the two and sending them crashing to the ground. The two shakily rose to their feet, eyeing her with disbelief.

"How... in the world...," began Xaldin.

"Focus," ordered Laxaeus.

"Wind and Darkness!" yelled Xaldin, his spears whirling through the air, a torrent of wind and steel swirling around the man as he charged at her.

Xion aimed her keyblade dead center of the mass and sent out a beam of light. It broke right through the mass and blew clean through Xaldin's right shoulder, sending him to the ground, his spears clattering. He tried to rise, only to collapse unconscious.

Laxaeus threw his sword at her, glowing red with energy. She batted it right back at him. He staggered a bit to catch it.

He narrowed his eyes. "So be it."

Red energy began to cackle around him and glow like an aura. She felt his strength increase by an impressive amount.

He leaped into the air and brought his blade down to stab at her. She dove out of the way and then yelped as the floor shifted and bucked at the impact of his blade. She turned and rushed at him as he began to drag his blade out of the floor, swinging both her keyblades and slicing into his back. To her surprise, rather than collapse as she hoped, the man merely grunted, turned, and backhanded her hard across her face.

She staggered a bit, hissing at the red mark now on her face. "Oww! That hurt!"

Laxaeus scoffed. "Infantile child, you are in battle!"

The man crashed his sword on the ground, sending the floor spiking up at her. She leaped to the side and then charged at him, swinging her Keyblades in seperate arcs. He didn't block, rather, he leaped back, his aura increasing tremendously, and then leaping so high into the air, Xion's jaw dropped.

"People can jump like that?" she whispered in disbelief.

The air and room began to tremble as Laxaeus came crashing down, his sword aimed straight for her.

_X-xion! S...s...salvation...!_

Xion nodded and spun. " _ **LIGHT!**_ "

Laxaeus's charge met her light and a massive explosion ripped across the room, bleaching the walls black or white, depending on what energy hit where.

_Thud._

When the explosion cleared, Laxaeus was on the ground, his sword clattering a few feet away from him.

The man struggled, trying to rise, only to collapse, his coat bleached white by light and in tatters. "Zexion... forgive me... this was... not a fight... we should have started..."

She watched, sadly, as her former comrade disintegrated into nothingness. "Why... why did it have to be this way?"

"Xion! What the hell?!" came a shrill yell.

Xion froze, looking up to see Larxene on the above balcony, staring down at her in disbelief. "Larxene..."

Larxene kicked off and leaped down, landing a ways in front of her. "What are you doing Xion? Leaving is one thing, turning on us like this?!"

"I'm not here to turn on anyone but the Superior," said Xion.

Larxene scoffed. "After that shit with Marluxia? Really?"

Xion winced a little. "Uh..."

Larxene narrowed her eyes. "Xion, put down the Keyblades, now."

"Larxene... please...," Xion begged, "I dont want to fight you."

"I don't want to fight you either," murmured Larxene.

"Then go, go to Twilight Town and stay with Aqua," said Xion.

Larxene closed her eyes, sighed, and drew her knives.

"Dammit Larxene!" yelled Xion.

"Dammit me? Dammit you you stupid dope!" yelled Larxene back, "I'm trying to save your life!"

She couldn't... she couldn't raise her Keyblades against a dear friend...

_X-xion... use... light... chains..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Light chains?"

A memory suddenly hit her, of Kairi using chains of light to bind a flying cluster of shadows, and Xion acted instantly, "Light Chains!"

Chains of light flew out of her Keyblade before Larxene could reacted and wrapped around the woman, taking her to the floor. "What the heck?!"

"Sorry Larxene, guess I'm the one trying to save your life now," said Xion as she walked passed her.

"Xion no! Xion!" cried out Larxene.

It hurt, to walk away from her, but she did. She stared ascending the castle again. This time though, it was suprisingly empty. Not a single Nobody, humanoid or lesser, stood to bare her path. It gave her time to think on something that was really bothering her.

"Miss Voice, what's wrong?" asked Xion.

_Don't... worry... about... m... me..._

Xion stopped walking. "It's hard NOT to worry. Miss Voice."

_Just... focus... on... Xehanort..._

"Miss Voice...," she whispered.

_After... he's... gone... please... look after... my friends... and... family... and... and... miss... blue lady..._

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Miss Blue Lady? Do you mean Aqua?"

_Aqua... is that... her name?_

Xion's eyes went wide with disbelief. "How can you forget about her? You knew of her before I even did, she sounded like she meant so much to you!"

_It's... getting... harder... to... remember... anything..._

Fear, pure raw fear rocketed down Xion's spine. "Miss Voice... why... why does..."

She chocked a little. "Why does it sound like you're... you're... dying?"

There was silence.

"Please Miss Voice," she begged, "Answer me."

_This... couldn't... last... forever... Xion..._

"What do you mean?" she asked.

_I... I've... been... dying... for... awhile... now..._

Xion's eyes went wide. "W-what?! Please! Tell me what I have to do to help, to save you!"

There was a sad chuckle.

_Xion... I'm... sorry... for the... hell... I put... you through..._

"Miss Voice... please," she begged.

_It's... Xehanort's... fault... Xion..._

She froze at that. "What?"

_Put... an end... to him... and free... Kingdom... Hearts... and I'll... be content... to go..._

Xion bowed her head, her voice cracking. "Miss Voice... please... I... I don't want to lose you."

_Don't... worry... Xion... even... when... I'm... gone... I'll... always... be... with... you..._

Xion started crying. "Please... please don't go..."

There was a silence, her only clue to the Voice's continued survival a faint raspy breathing in the back of her mind.

"Xehanort...," whispered Xion.

"XEHANORT!" she yelled in fury, "Where are you!"

She'd find him, she'd find him and make him tell her what was wrong with Miss Voice!

She took off and top speed up the castle until she came to the round room, feeling his presence inside. Of course he was in there, he was always in there. She sliced the door in half and kicked it in before charging inside. There, sitting up on his throne, looking rather casual and indifferent to her interruption, was the Superior.

"Where IS she?" demanded Xion.

The Superior glanced down at her. "Who?"

"The Voice in my head! Where IS she!" yelled Xion.

The Superior frowned, an annoyed look crossing his face. "So that's it, is it? She's been whispering to you, turning you against me, my puppet."

"Who? Who is she! Where is she, why is she dying?!" she screamed at him.

The Superior chuckled. "Isn't it obvious by this point?"

"No?" she answered.

The Superior vanished off his throne and reappeared a ways in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back. "Still so blind. So shall I make you see?"

She glared at him. "No games, no more lies."

A cruel smirk played across his face. "As you wish, my puppet."

"I'm not your damn puppet, now answer me!" she yelled.

He made a motion to her hair. "Are you telling me, even with the memories you see, her voice in your head, her keyblade in your hand, and the change of your hair and face, that you haven't honestly figured it out?"

She clenched her keyblades tightly.

He sighed and shook his head. "Such a pity, but I suppose at this point it doesn't matter if you know. I doubt she'll survive this battle."

He raised a hand. "Reflect."

Xion stared at the reflection of herself through the Superior's barrier in shock. "What's going on?"

Her hair... it was almost completely red, and her face, it hard hardened so much, she almost didn't look like herself anymore...

The Superior smiled cruelly at her. "You are at last fulfilling your function, my puppet, at long last, you are so close to fully consuming the heart placed within you, and becoming **_MY_ ** Princess of Heart."

Xion lowered her Keyblades, confused. "I don't understand... I... knew I had a heart, but, I have someone else's heart in me? Whose heart?!"

The Superior laughed. "The heart of the one you've been asking about for so long. Kairi's heart."

Xion's eyes went wide with shock. "W-what?!"

"It was what you were created for Xion. You are a Replica of the Keyblade Wielder and Princess of Heart, Kairi. You were created from a copy of her memories as your body to house and consume Kairi's heart. It took a long time for you to finally force open her power and awaken it for yourself, but you did at last, like a good puppet," mocked the Superior.

Xion stared at him, numb. "I... I'm not even a Nobody... I'm a Replica...?"

Then she registered the second half of what he had said, and her arms trembled in anger. "I... I forced _NOTHING_! The Voice... she... Kairi... let me use her power..."

The Superior looked surprised for a moment before chuckling. "Fool girl, holding back her power and full access to her heart was the only thing staving off her consumption. She ought to have tried to get you to take her to the Keybearers if she wanted to live. But then again, that would kill you, and I'm certain your naive innocent nature wormed it's way into her heart, didn't it? She didn't want to kill you to save herself."

He laughed. "It would seem that her heart led her to obliteration. I'll have to be sure to remember that when I reclaim my own."

Xion bowed her head, suckering in a breath. She... she was killing someone for this power...?

_Xion... it's okay... use... me... to stop... him..._

"No... no it's not okay," whispered Xion, mortified by what was happening.

The Superior stared at her. "What are you babbling about?"

_Xion... we can't... let Xehanort... win... use... me to... destroy him... and set... Kingdom Heart's free!_

Xion clenched her fists over her keyblades tightly, tears streaming down her face. "No... I..."

The Superior frowned at her. "What are you waiting for? You want to destroy me, don't you? Use her power, use all of it! Kill her, consume her, become her, replace her! Become complete!"

Xion aimed Oathkeeper at him, rage, hate, and... guilt... radiating through her. "I..."

She turned the Keyblade away from him and aimed it behind her, shooting off energy, breaching through whatever barrier stopped them, and formed a Dark Corridor. "I won't do it!"

_What?_

Xehanort echoed the voice. "What?"

Xion knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes, smiled briefly, turned, banished her Keyblades, and rushed through the Dark Corridor, following her heart...


	21. Vector to the Sea

Xion staggered out of the Dark Corridor, hand going to her chest, struggling to try and stop what was happening. She searched deep inside of herself, something she had never done before, and found what she was looking for. She found the heart, being eaten by her own, and threw a barrier up around Kairi's heart.

She took a ragged breath. "I have to find him... he knows where she is..."

_Xion stop... what are... you doing... You have... to stop... Xehanort!_

She shook her head, refusing the Voice... refusing... Kairi's voice. "I can't... I can't do it. I won't do it, not at that cost."

_Xion... please... you have... to set... Kingdom Hearts free... I don't care.. if you... have to... consume me... to do so..._

"I REFUSE!" cried out Xion, clutching her chest tightly.

"Refuse what?" came a voice.

She looked up, shocked to see _him_ there already. "Sora..."

It looked like following one's heart worked wonders...

She glanced around, finding herself at the summit of a mountain with Sora walking towards her slowly, a confused look on his face. "Xion...? No... Kairi?"

If he of all people truly had a hard time trying to figure out who she was, then Xion knew she was running out of time.

"Riku asked me once... if I could feel Kairi, well, I can, in more ways than one, " whispered Xion, pain starting to wrack through her chest.

It hurt, it was starting to hurt so badly to fight against her body. It felt like every part of her was shivering, screaming, and struggling to try and get to Kairi's heart. She realized then and there how awful her existence was. She had been made for one reason, to consume, to eat Kairi's heart, to kill her and become her own complete being. To refuse to do so, to fight against herself like this, it felt like she was deteriorating, like her body was trying to tear itself apart to get through the barrier she was using to protect Kairi's heart from herself...

"Please Sora... take me to Kairi... there's not much time left before... the choice is taken from me," she gasped out.

_Xion... Why do... you... want yo find... me that... badly?  
_

Sora's eyebrows furrowed. "Choice?"

"If I don't return... what isn't mine... she won't exist anymore...," Xion gasped out, "I was made... to consume her heart... but I refuse... I refuse to be the Superior's... to be Xehanort's puppet!"

_Return... what isn't... wait... Xion no!_

Xion smiled weakly at Sora's shocked face before falling to a knee. "Please... hurry..."

Sora recovered from his shock, a determined look crossing his face, nodded, and walked over to the weakening Xion, picking her up and starting to walk down the mountain. "Let's go."

_SORA STOP! Her heart's... partially merged... with mine... she's not... strong enough to... survive on... her own... if mines... taken out... it will kill her!_

Sora paused, a surprised look on his face. "K-kairi?!"

"Don't stop," whispered Xion, "This isn't... her choice to make... it's mine."

Sora looked conflicted. "Xion... is she right?"

"It doesn't matter," whispered Xion tiredly, "I wasn't... supposed to exist to... begin with."

_That's not... fair Xion... everyone deserves... the right to live!_

"That includes... you too silly," scolded Xion.

_..._

"Got you... there...," giggled Xion.

_Xion... please..._

Xion closed her eyes, resting her head against Sora's chest as he made his way down the mountain. "Riku! Eraqus! Get the door open now!"

She briefly opened her eyes, sighting the two staring at her and Sora with confusion before they rushed up a set of stairs into the keep. The moment Sora brought her inside, she shivered and moaned in pain. Kairi's heart was being pulled by something... something getting closer by the second...

Sora carried her up the sets, into a large room with thrones from her... from Kairi's memories. Sitting on the thrones, talking quietly to a woman standing in front of them, were...

"Terra... Ven... Mickey... Aurora...," she whispered.

The four of them stopped talking and looked towards her and Sora, surprise on their faces. Sora paid them no heed, starting to head towards a hallway deeper into the castle.

"Sora, wait," commanded a stern voice.

Sora shook his head. "I can't wait! Kairi doesn't have much time left."

Before he could go far, a strong hand grabbed his should. "Sora."

Sora turned and glared at the elder man, at Terra. "What?"

"What is going on?" demanded Terra, pointing at Xion, "Kairi rests in the Chamber of Waking, so who is this?"

"I'm... Xion...," she whispered weakly.

"Wait, she's the Nobody?" demanded Terra, his eyes narrowing, "Riku, correct me if I'm wrong, but she didn't look like this before, did she?"

Riku walked up behind them. "No. She didn't look so... much like Kairi."

"I'm... not a Nobody," whispered Xion, "I'm... a replica, created from... a copy of her memories..."

"A replica?" questioned Terra.

"I never had... a choice," she whispered, "Xehanort... made me to consume... Kairi's heart..."

"What?!" came Ven's voice, growing furious.

"Please... you have to... take me to her... before it's to late," whispered Xion.

"Why? So you can finish the rest of her off?" said Ven angrily.

"No... that's not...," began Xion weakly.

Aurora pushed through the two Keybearers, ignoring their 'wait' squawks, and walked up to Xion, staring down in to her eyes. Slowly, the woman put a hand on Xion's chest, over her heart, and closed her eyes. A horrified and sickened look crossed the woman's face as she opened her eyes and took a step back, bringing a hand up to her own heart.

"By the light... I've never felt something like this before," said Aurora, mortified, "It's like her heart is swallowing Kairi's whole. Kairi's heart has been mostly... mostly absorbed. There's so little of it left that isn't interwoven into Xion's."

"What does that mean?" asked Eraqus, "Can Kairi be saved at this point?"

Aurora bit her lip and glanced down at Xion. "Yes, but... Xion. You do understand what that would mean, don't you?"

Xion closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes..."

"You'd have to give everything you've taken back, everything that's been integrated and absorbed into your heart would have to be ripped away," said Aurora.

Xion opened her eyes and stared at Aurora silently.

The woman spoke quietly, "It's so interwoven Xion. Your heart won't survive the process. You'll die."

"I know," whispered Xion bleakly.

_Xion... please no... don't... don't do it..._

Xion smiled sadly at Aurora, at the pity and sadness in the woman's eyes. "I... don't look at it... that way though..."

"What do you mean?" asked Aurora softly.

"I understand, at long last... what the feeling... and desire I've had for... Kairi was...," she whispered, "It's not... to consume her. It's... to go back to her... to where I belong."

_Xion... you're not me... your you! Please..._

The hardness in the Keybearer's eyes had long since faded, most of them looking at her with a bit of remorse and sadness, or rage.

"I don't think there's a pit of hell deep enough for Xehanort," snarled out Terra.

Ven closed his eyes, pinched his nose, and sighed heavily. "..."

"If your mind is made up, then I suppose there's nothing more to be done," said Aurora sadly, "I'm sorry Xion."

Xion shook her head. "Don't be..."

She glanced up at a teary eyed Sora. "Go... take me to her... please..."

Sora took her further into the keep, the other Keyblade Masters following in tow along with Aurora and Riku. Sora clutched Xion to his chest with one arm as he freed a hand to summon his Keyblade. Xion's eyes followed the key as he pointed it up and towards a chained white door. A light fired out of it and hit the door. The chains broke, and the door swung open...

"AHHH!" screamed Xion, cringing and clutching her chest as a horrific pain tore through her at the door's opening.

It felt like Kairi's heart had just tried to rip out of hers and burst out of her chest. Was this... the pain... Kairi felt? As her heart... was eaten alive?

" _Kairi... I'm so sorry_ ," she whispered.

_XION STOP... please don't... do this!_

"Xion? We... we can stop for a moment," said Sora, "Let you catch your breath."

Even when she stood between him and getting Kairi back, he was still so kind. Xion wanted to say no, wanted to get it over with, but she couldn't it, hurt so much. She clutch him tightly and cried into his chest. It hurt so much... she... wanted Axel... to be here holding her... no... she couldn't... it would hurt him so much to see this...

Oh Axel, this was going to destroy him...

"Axel... I'm sorry...," she whispered.

"Axel?" questioned Sora.

"A... dear friend...," she whispered.

"Kairi... please... look after him and the others," she whispered faintly.

_Xion... no... I..._

She took a few, deep ragged breaths, hoping the pain would ease, but it wouldn't. The heart in her chest, Kairi's heart, was instinctually trying to pull free to her body, even if Kairi herself was probably trying to fight against it.

"Sora... I... I'm ready," she lied.

Sora stared at her sadly and knowingly before he walked inside of a circular white room, she caught sight of a throne through her tear stained eyes. Time seemed to slow for her as Sora slowly rounded the throne...

There...

Sitting on the throne...

Was a body that looked so much like her own...

A young teenage girl, with red hair. A hardened, yet pure face, closed eyes, but ones she instinctively knew to be blue. The girl bore white and red armor all along her body, one of the few differences between them considering Xion had the cloak. It was her... this... this was...

"Kairi," whispered Xion.

_Xion... don't..._

Finally... at long last, she had found her, found Kairi. Even more, after what Xehanort had revealed to her, she had found where she had come from. Who she had been born from. Her other side, her true self, and the body the Voice belonged to. She... felt a longing, a powerful desire... she had found where she belonged... where she had to return to...

"P-put me down... Sora," whispered Xion.

Sora hesitated before doing as she asked. Black smoke started to rise off of Xion as she struggled to stand on her own. Being this close to Kairi, to her body, it hurt so badly... but she wanted... to get closer... she felt compelled...

Xion stared at Kairi sadly. "I'm... glad we got to meet at least once... face to face... I would have liked to be your friend... and have you eat ice cream with... me and the others..."

_Xion..._

She took a step forward...

_Xion STOP!_

She shook her head. "Kairi... are you honestly... telling me that were you... in my shoes, you'd consume... someone to fight Xehanort?"

Her only reply was a sob.

"I wish... I could have been me... but... I am your replica... I am you... and you would never do something like... that...," whispered Xion, her shaking hand reaching for Kairi's hand...

_XION!_

"Don't worry... Kairi... it's alright... I guess... I'm going back to... where I belong...," said Xion, a brief pained sob escaping her lips.

She smiled a sad smile one last time. "But... I guess... I don't mind... because..."

She grabbed Kairi's hand, a bright light flashing on contact. "I think you make a good other."

* * *

Kairi screamed in shock as her heart was forcefully ripped out of Xion's, tunneling down the girl's arm and back into her own body through their clasped hands. She had a brief moment of disorientation before she found herself staring out of her own eyes for the first time in a long time.

She looked out, at a smiling Xion, the red of her hair starting to fade back to her normal black, her hardened face returning to a soft and innocent look. She had returned to what she looked like before she had started absorbing Kairi's heart. For a moment, Kairi saw Xion for who she had truly been, a sweet, innocent, child-like teenage girl. A girl who tried to befriend and care for everyone she met, even those who might not have deserved the chance. Someone who gave her friendship and love, almost unconditionally...

Then...

She started disintegrating before Kairi's eyes. "XION!"

She clutched at the hand gripping hers, trying to pry it off. "NO! Please! Please don't go!"

The dust Xion began to disintegrate into flew at and into Kairi, and with it, her memories and power started to come back. Xion stared down at her as she struggled to try and pry her hand free, her smile growing sad. The girl gave a soft giggle before she leaned forward to kiss Kairi's forehead and then wrap her other hand around Kairi in a hug.

"I'll always be with you," Xion whispered.

_BURST_

Xion exploded in a burst of white dust and smoke, swirling around and being absorbed into Kairi, leaving nothing behind save for her Organization coat, boots, and gloves. Kairi sat there, in shock, as she was bombarded with all the memories and power she had lost at once, stunned by the sensation, and stunned by the loss...

She began to shake, tears streaming down her face. "X...Xion..."

She clutched Xion's coat and let out a blood curdling scream of anguish. She fell off the throne and to her knees, curling up over the clothing and sobbing into them uncontrollably.

Arms wrapped around her, and Sora's sad voice whispered, "Kairi... I'm sorry."

She wanted to hit him, to scream at him for not stopping Xion, for not saving her. But... all she could do was turn and cry into his chest, letting him pull her into a tight hug. She sobbed for what felt like hours, until her throat dried so much it hurt, her face felt like she had been standing outside in the rain, and she couldn't force herself to make anymore tears. She sat there, in Sora's arms, shivering uncontrollably.

All she could see... was Xion's face in her mind... as the girl disintegrated...

"Sora," came Terra, his voice unusually soft, "You should take her to her room to rest. I imagine this has been a trying experience for her. We will convene later to... discuss this."

"Come on Kairi," whispered Sora softly, "Let's go."

She said nothing, clutching Xion's clothing tightly to herself as Sora picked her up and took her to her room. She didn't need to see the other's faces to feel their pity radiating off of them as they passed. Sora gently set her on her bed and sat down in a chair next to it.

"Kairi... I'm so sorry, I... wish something else could have been done," he said softly.

She didn't look at him.

He sighed. "Just... get some rest Kairi. In the morning, you can tell us what happened, and then..."

Anger entered his voice as he stood up and went for the door. "We can stop Xehanort, stop this suffering he keeps inflicting on everyone, hopefully for good this time."

The closing of the door echoed in her mind, along with the name: Xehanort.

Kairi clenched Xion's clothes tightly. "Xe...ha...nort..."

_Kairi... please... stop him... and Kingdom Hearts free..._

Kairi gave a strangled gasp and sat up. "X-xion!?"

There was no reply.

Kairi stared down at Xion's clothes silently. She waved a hand and dismissed her armor. Slowly and tenderly, she donned Xion's coat. She took off her boots and gloves, putting Xion's black ones on instead. She stood and moved to her bathroom, looking over herself in the mirror.

For a moment, Xion's face appeared in the mirror. Whether it was real, or a trauma induced illusion, she didn't know. She didn't care though...

Kairi raised a hand and placed it on the mirror, as if to brush the girl's cheek. "Xion... I swear to you... I'll put an end to him."

Xion smiled at her, and for a moment, Kairi thought she heard the girl's innocent giggling, before the reflection returned to being Kairi's. She bowed her head, took a ragged breath, and turned on the faucet to take a quick drink of water to wet her throat.

She splashed a bit of water on her face, wiped it off, and stared at herself in the mirror one more time. She turned and reached into herself, searching. She had taken more into herself than just what had been... _given_... to Xion. She had taken the bits and scraps of the girl that had been left. She used them, felt the chill of darkness that she felt every time Xion opened a Corridor, something that no Princess of Heart was ever supposed to be able to feel and use like this, and she opened one.

Not to The World That Never Was.

No, she had something else to do first. Axel deserved to know what had happened. And what's more...

It was time.

It was time for her and her Master to finally set this right.

She wasn't leaving until Aqua's Nobody... until Aqua... agreed to come with her to end this, as they should have done together a long time ago...


	22. The Calling

Kairi was only slightly surprised to find the Twilight Town Mansion empty. It only took her a second to detect Aqua's power off in the distance, in another part of the world. Of course they would be there, at the Clocktower. There... there they were probably waiting... hoping... for Xion to come back. She sighed, she was not looking forward to... to breaking the news. She was half expecting Axel to fly off the handle and attack her... but then again... she looked like Xion, and he would never raise a hand against _her_.

"It should have been you Xion," whispered Kairi, "You had so much left to look forward to."

She opened the door and walked out of the mansion. Heading into the forest. It had only been a short... what was it... month or two? Since she had first come here? Time was hard to keep track of when one was trapped within a prison of heart passing in and out of consciousness. She recalled, her first fight with Marluxia, Sora coming to her aid despite her anger at him, and then when she saw Aqua's Nobody for the first time. The memories echoed as she passed the trees. Haunting memories of... oddly enough... a better time.

To her at least.

Other's wouldn't say the Heartless Apocalypse had been a better time. But most wouldn't have had someone they cared about so much, someone they had been trying to sacrifice themselves for, disintegrate right infront of them. She'd rather have Aqua's Heartless suddenly come back and crush her heart into nothing than have lost Xion... especially like that...

"She just... looked so happy and peaceful... except when I made her sad..." whispered Kairi, trying not to let herself tear up.

"E-enough... I... I have a job to do here," she scolded herself weakly, "Cry... cry if you must, but only after Xehanort's dead. That's... that's all that matters anymore..."

She'd recruit the others, kill Xehanort, teach Nobodies how to regrow their hearts, then... then she'd... she didn't know to be honest. She had thrown out any and all desires and dreams for herself, giving everything to Xion. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She could recall a distant desire to see Aqua whole, but, that would happen on its own anyway, Olette would eventually see to that... Xion would have made it happen faster...

She... Kairi wasn't needed...

Xion could have helped restore the hearts of all her friends and family, become a better daughter to Leon and Yuffie. Been a better friend to everyone else... she still remembered what Tifa had told Xion, about how they had hurt because of...

She closed her eyes, took a raged breath, forced away bleak thoughts, and walked out of the forest. She made her way silently towards the clock tower. She caught sight of feet hanging off the side, but no one was looking down. She walked into the clock tower and slowly made her way up, dreading what was about to happen. She heard faint voices as she drew closer, took a deep breath, and rounded the corner.

Aqua, Olette, Axel, and oddly enough, Xigbar, were all sitting there. All at once, they turned to look at her. She nearly crumbled at the hope and intensity in Olette and Axel's eyes. The hope only lasted a split second in Axel's eyes, about the time it would have taken him to actually sense her out. Olette appeared though to be a bit clueless.

Olette jumped to her feet, rushing over to hug her. "Xion!"

Kairi took a ragged breath and closed her eyes, bowing her head. "..."

"Olette," came Aqua's firm voice.

Olette glanced back. "Huh?"

"I'm... not Xion...," whispered Kairi.

Olette took a step back, her eyes furrowing, before she searched hers. "K... kairi? Oh, it's been awhile. You two really look alike ya know, why are you in a coat instead of your armor?"

Kairi said nothing.

"Xion's gone... isn't she?" said Axel quietly.

"Yes," was all Kairi could manage.

Axel closed his eyes and bowed his head. "..."

She could feel it, breaking through the nothingness around the man, the raw _pain_ and _grief_. Their were not _words_ to describe the pain of loss.

"W-what do you mean she's gone?!" exclaimed Olette.

"I... I wanted it to be her, but... she... she wouldn't...," began Kairi, faltering.

"Yeah, I kinda figured there was a good chance of that if she found it," said Xigbar.

She glared at him. "You knew, everything."

Xigbar shrugged. "Kiddo, it was one of you or the other, and you know it. It didn't honestly matter to me which one of you made it, though, I kinda liked the kiddo. Whether she deep six'd the old coot herself, or went back to you and, well..."

He spread his arms out. "This."

"I don't... I don't understand," said Olette, "What happened to Xion!?"

"Xion... had to make a choice," said Kairi weakly, her legs starting to wobble.

"Sit," ordered Aqua.

Though she felt she had no right to it, she took a seat on the edge of the clocktower, like Xion had used to. "She... Xion was... a replica, not a Nobody... created out of copies of my memories. She had no choice in the matter, but, Xehanort made her to consume my heart and replace me."

Olette looked horrified. "What? Why... that's..."

"That's the old coot for you," said Xigbar.

"Xion... had to make a choice. Either to consume me, or... give my heart back," said Kairi with remorse, "I wanted her to live, to just... consume me and use me to stop Xehanort, but... she wouldn't do it, she... she gave my heart back..."

"What's wrong with giving your heart back?" said Olette.

"Because giving it back killed her," whispered Kairi.

Olette's eyes went wide, tears welling in her eyes. "She's... she... no... that's... that's not fair!"

The girl started crying, turning and sobbing into Aqua. The Nobody hesitated briefly, before putting an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"That's... that's just who Xion is...," said Axel hoarsely, "Consuming a heart? She wouldn't ever willingly... do something like that. Even if... it... cost her everything."

He turned to look at Kairi, and the firestorm of emotion in his eye made her question whether he was still a Nobody or not, regardless of what she felt from him. "So there was no other way?"

"At that point, no," said Kairi quietly.

"That point? Was there ever a chance for a different outcome?" demanded Axel, "Was there _ANYWAY_ Xion could have lived?!"

Kairi bowed her head, shame in her voice and coating her face. "If she had found out the truth earlier... if she had returned my heart to me before it had become so integrated into her own, maybe she could have survived. But... I... I didn't trust her... I thought she was just Xehanort's puppet. By the time I realized who she really was, it was to late, she had already started to intigrate my heart."

"I killed her," whispered Kairi hollowly, starting to shake.

She stared down at the ground far below, wondering if she... she should just throw herself off the tower to it's embrace...

She was startled when Axel moved to sit down next to her. "No Kairi, no you didn't."

He turned his head to stare at her, hard. "Kairi. I want to hate you."

She flinched.

"I want to hate you with everything that I am, but I can't," he said, "You... didn't kill Xion. What Xehanort made her into did. It's.. it's... like you said... she had no choice in what was done to her, what she was made to do."

His voice grew soft. "Got it memorized?"

She didn't answer. She didn't even know how he found the strength to keep up his act...

"But... even with what she was born to be, she refused it. Xehanort wanted a puppet, instead, she was... well... Xion," said Axel, "Trying to describe someone who could make a Nobody _feel_ , isn't something that I can put a word to, except as a name."

Kairi choked a little.

She jumped a slightly when Axel pulled a wrapped ice cream out of his coat and set it on her lap. "Here kid. You... look like you could use one."

"If I used a word, it would be recusant...," murmured Aqua.

Axel turned towards her. "Huh?"

"Someone who defies authority, what was set in store for them, the term... is for some reason familiar to me, and seemed accurate," said Aqua.

Kairi stared down at the ice cream for a moment before turning to Aqua. "That's... what someone, in a dream, once described you to me as."

Aqua tilted her head in thought. "I suppose, based on what you and Sora once told me, that'd be accurate."

There was silence, for a time, the only sound Olette's soft cries, before Kairi slowly opened her ice cream and took a nibble. "Oh... I see why she loved it so much."

"Yeah, it was her favorite," murmured Axel.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Like you ever got her another flavor to try."

Axel scoffed. "Pff, who needs another flavor?"

Axel suddenly hesitated. "Uh... Kairi... how much were you... umm... awake and aware for?"

"I was awake on and off early on, but after I was somewhat integrated into her, I couldn't even go to sleep anymore," she said.

She turned her head to smile softly at him. "The way you comforted her, when she was lost in the memories she was taking in, was really sweet."

Axel's face turned a little red. "Ah... so you did see that."

Xigbar gave a soft chuckle. "Flamsilocks, the knight in shinning armor. Larxene had you pegged."

Axel scowled at him, but didn't deny anything.

Kairi raised her head, to stare out into the sunset. Seeing it through Xion's eyes was one thing. But... experiencing it... the ice cream... the friends... the view... it was another thing entirely. Oh Xion...

_Set... Kingdom Hearts... free..._

Kairi froze, her shoulders tensing. " _Xion?_ "

There was nothing in response, but the message, if that's what it was, had been sent. It was time to stop putting it off.

"Axel, Aqua, Xigbar, I'm going to go finish what Xion started," said Kairi, "I'm going to kill Xehanort."

"Hah, was wondering when you were going to ask," said Xigbar, "Count me in, I got a ten year old bone to pick with the old coot."

"You don't even need to ask if I want to," said Axel, a dark look in his eyes.

Kairi's eyes flickered to Aqua. "And you?"

Aqua said nothing, simply staring down at a mostly quiet Olette, the girl having used up most of her tears and sobs, running a soft hand through her hair.

"Aqua...," said Kairi.

"I have a responsibility here," said Aqua quietly.

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "If Xion meant anything to you, you'll help me set things right."

Aqua turned her head to stare silently at Kairi.

"Go...," came a weak whisper from Olette.

Aqua turned her head down to the girl. "If I leave... who will keep you safe while I'm gone?"

"I can form a corridor to drop her off at the Land of Departure," offered Kairi, "They'll keep her safe."

Aqua was silently for a moment, before she closed her eyes, sighed, and said, "So be it."

Kairi felt her heart swell at that. At long last... her Master, even if it was just her Nobody state, was taking up the fight again.

"I assume there is a plan in works, or are we simply going to carve a path?" inquired Aqua.

"We won't be able to take a Corridor into the castle, we'll have to enter the City That Never Was and make our way to it, but first, I have an idea, old friends and family that need to know the truth, they'll help us," said Kairi.

"Very well, take Olette to safety then and we'll be on our way. The sooner it's over, the sooner I return here," said Aqua.

Kairi nodded and formed a Corridor, "Go Olette, you can tell them what's going on and tell them we'll be alright."

Xigbar waited until the girl had left before speaking. "They don't know? They keybearer's aren't coming?"

"This is a Nobody matter, I'm merely standing in for Xion, even if she was technically a Replica," said Kairi.

Xigbar frowned for a moment, his eyes flickering to Aqua and then back to Kairi. "Whatever you say kiddo. Bluebird here is going to have to pull the weight then."

Kairi hid a smirk. "You have no clue do you, just how strong Xion was? How strong I am? She killed Zexion, purely on accident, beat Saix, beat Sora, beat both Xaldin and Laxaeus, the latter who died. She could have beaten Xehanort I think if she had actually fought him. All of this, was without having fully absorbed me either."

Xigbar gave her a flabbergasted look. "At the same time?"

"Let's just say I... stacked things in Xion's favor," said Kairi.

She... wasn't going to go blabbing about having absorbed the Cornerstone. That little piece of information was going to remain a tightly kept secret. She wasn't sure if she even needed help to be honest, but she wasn't leaving this to chance. Xehanort was going to die today, she wasn't leaving any other possible outcomes.

Xigbar gave her a curious look before shrugging. "Whatever, the sooner we get things started, the better."

Kairi stood up, finished off the ice cream before pausing, staring down at the stick silently. "..."

"Something wrong?" asked Xigbar.

"Winner," she murmured, staring down at the stick.

"You gotta be kidding me, you and Xion, both get winner sticks on your first ice creams," said Axel with disbelief, though, a hint of wistfulness leaking through.

Kairi didn't really feel like a winner, but, she pocketed the stick. She turned, aimed a hand, and formed a dark corridor.

"So kiddo, how exactly can you make those?" asked Xigbar, "Xion I could understand, but you?"

Kairi gave a sad smile before raising a hand to her heart. "Xion... is gone yes, but... in a sense... she's still here. I can feel and use what's left."

"Do... you think there's a way...," began Axel with hesitance.

"I don't know Axel," she said quietly, "I hope with all my heart there is, but... I don't know."

Without another word, she walked through the corridor, the others behind her...

...and came out straight into the lobby of the Nothing's Watch building.

Just like the last time she had been here, Hiro was fiddling with his machines. "Hiro."

The boy paused for a second, raising his head to stare at her. "It's Xiroh, Xion, and you have a lot of nerve to come back here again."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Your name, you little shit, is _Hiro,_ and yeah, I _DO_ have a lot of nerve, even if I'm not Xion, you ought to remember that."

The boy froze, she had made damn sure he recognized that tone; She had only taken it with him once, when he had first gotten to their world, depressed over his brother's death. "K... Kairi?!"

"Is everyone else here?" she asked.

The boy blinked a few times. "Y-yeah..."

"Good," she said, "Go tell them we need to talk."

"We?" he questioned, before jumping a little at the sight of Aqua.

Aqua made a non-committal hum. "I remember you. The boy with the spy robots."

Kairi turned to give her a questioning look.

"He was creative in how he went about fulfilling his 'spying'," was all she said.

Kairi followed in behind Hiro, entering the Round Room of Nothing's Watch. All thirteen members of their branch were present, and staring down at the four of them. Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Arthur, Barret, Rapunzel, Jack, Hiro, Stitch, and Mulan...

Leon looked her over. "So, you're back."

"U... umm sir... that's not...," began Hiro.

"I'm aware," said Leon, cutting him off, "I can recognize that hard ass look in her eye anywhere."

Kairi crossed her arms. "Pff. Thanks dad."

"Bout damn time you got your memories back," said Yuffie almost teasingly, "Took you long enough. Not gonna lie, the whole slowly getting your normal looks back was weird."

Kairi was silent for a moment, before deciding to just get it over with. "I never lost my memories. Xion wasn't me, she was a replica of me."

Aerith leaned forward. "A replica? Explain."

"I will, in a sec," said Kairi, before turning a very cold look at Aerith, "First. What the hell happened to you Aerith? Even without a heart, how could you of all people turn into such a cold hearted bitch?"

Aerith frowned. "My name is Xithera now."

"No, its not," growled out Kairi, "Screw the names he gave you, because Xion was right. The Superior was _LYING_ to all of you. He was never going to help any of you."

Xigbar spoke up. "The whole name thing is part of his plan. The more ways he gets you to renounce your sense of self, the easier it would be to turn anyone he wanted into a vessel."

Aerith glanced back and forth between the two. "Vessel?"

"Oh no you don't, I asked you a damn question Aerith!" said Kairi.

"Very well, as I lack a heart to want to spare you the pain, I'll tell you," said Aerith coldly.

"I am a 'cold hearted bitch' as you say, because I lied to you almost every day of your life," said Aerith.

Kairi's eyes furrowed. "Lied?"

"Hope Kairi. I always told you to have hope, to never give up on it, that there was a better life awaiting us all, even as day by day worlds faded and people withered away and died around us," said Aerith coldly, "I even had the audacity to lie to you the day Traverse Town died. I lied right to your face moments before our end. I became the way that I am, when as I lay fading away to be reborn into nothingness, I heard you see pass my lies, I heard you scream the most awful scream I ever heard and give up hope as we died."

There was complete and utter silence in the room.

"Aerith...," Kairi whispered, not sure what she was even supposed to say to that.

"Does that answer satisfy you, Kairi?" mocked Aerith.

"They weren't lies Aerith," said Kairi defiantly, "Dreams maybe, but never lies. Not back then, and not now. Hope is never a lie, and I hope you all can go home after all of this, regrow your hearts, and pick up your lives."

"Regrow? The fuck you mean kid?" said Barret.

"A body without a heart is but a temporary separation. Once gone, a body would try to replace the heart the first chance it got, and once born, a new fledgling heart could be nurtured. I had seen it so many times, within those Xion interacted with," explained Kairi.

Cid spit out his cigarette. "Hold on, your fucking serious, aren't you?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Xehanort, that old coot, couldn't have you all knowing about that, now could he?" said Xigbar almost teasingly, "Nobodies knowing that they could regrow their hearts would put a kink in his plan. He wanted you all to believe that through him and his Kingdom Hearts was the only way to get your hearts back, to instill loyalty and obedience. It's also why he frowned on people putting in to much effort to 'fake' their emotions, didn't want them figuring it out."

Cloud crossed his arms. "Somehow, I'm not as surprised as I should be."

Tifa, oh boy Kairi hadn't seen _THAT_ fury on her face in a long time. "Of all the... for light's sake! There are Nobody Children! How... how could someone deny them that kind of hope?"

"Lady," said Xigbar, raising an eyebrow, "You have absolutely no clue who your talking about here. After all..."

He grinned. "The old coot's the one primarily responsible for the Heartless Apocalypse, none of this would have happened without him."

There was a deathly silence that overtook the room.

"You are here to _kill_ him, correct?" said Aerith, "I surely ' _hope_ ' so."

It chilled Kairi, to hear Aerith talk like that. She sorely hoped that when the woman regained her heart, she would be better. This... this was not how she was meant to be...

"We are, and I assume since Kairi brought us here, she wishes all of your help to do so," said Aqua.

Arthur spoke up, and his voice was ice, "You. You're ' _her_ ' right? Kairi's oh so beloved ' _Master Aqua_ ' that she always went on and on about?"

"Arthur...," began Kairi in a warning tone.

"Ten years you made her wait, losing hope day by day," the boy all but snarled out, "While you were sitting around in Twilight Town doing _nothing_."

Aqua stared up at him silently, unblinking.

"No, that's not quite right, after all, it was _your_ Heartless out their eating the worlds," jabbed Arthur.

"That's enough Arthur!" barked out Kairi.

"It's true though," said Mulan, eying Aqua warily, Mushu on her shoulder doing the same, "At least the Heartless part anyway."

Aqua didn't seem phased. "I will not deny what my ' _counterpart_ ' did. It is however irrelevant to the topic at hand. Resent me if you so wish, but do not allow 'emotion' to cloud what needs to be done. Xigbar has informed the three of us of the true dangers of what Xehanort can do with Kingdom Hearts. He must be silenced, immediately."

"Do we even want to know?" asked Leon, glancing at Kairi.

"Not really, it's better to just _NOT_ let him win and leave it at that," said Kairi.

Rapunzel leapt down and started passed the four. "Well, lets go then. I'm kicking some butt, then I'm going home. I want to see the festivals again."

"Agreed matey," said Jack, "I want to be able to really enjoy rum again. I'll be drinking every day until I do."

Cid laughed. "You already do anyway."

Stitch jumped up on his throne. "See Ohana!"

"Hold on a sec," said Leon.

Those in motion, or those about to move, paused.

"This won't be as easy as you think it is. Xion slipped through before, but now the entire world is on high alert, if we go into the castle, we're going to bring the entire population down on us," said Leon.

"So?" said Yuffie, "All we gotta do is tell them the truth!"

"You think it will be that easy?" said Cloud, "You think they will believe us? We're the newest and most uninfluential branches in the entire Organization."

He gave Kairi a pointed look. "Nor will they believe a somebody, especially when said Somebody looks like the girl who killed a member of the Core Organization not to long ago, and speaking of which, you never explained what the deal is with Xion. Where is she for one?"

"Gone," said Kairi softly, and decided to give a very brief rundown, she didn't want to try and handle a full explanation right now, "Xehanort... made her to consume my heart, but rather than do so... she sacrificed herself to return it."

"W-what?!" exclaimed Yuffie.

Aerith scoffed a bit. "I imagine he was probably laughing inside when he fed us his lies."

"I swear...," said Tifa, yanking at her hair.

"To finish where I left off," interrupted Cloud, turning his sights to Aqua, "Every Nobody, and I mean every single one, is wary of her. No one will believe us with her here."

Aqua made a non-committal hum, but did not comment.

"What he's saying, is we're about to start a civil war in the World That Never Was, one were really going to be outnumbered in," said Leon, "There are thousands of humanoid Nobodies, and let's not even get started on the lesser ones. This isn't a joke, or something to fool around with. If we go through with this, we very well may not make it out alive to even try to regrow our hearts. If you don't have what it takes to see this through, go home now. We won't think any less of you for it."

There was a heavy silence in the room.

Kairi... felt nervous and anxious all of the sudden. Leon... he was right... maybe this was a bad idea. She... she should have followed Xion's example and tried to not get them involved... she had lost them once, she didn't think she could go through losing them again...

No one however backed out.

"Alright then, let's keep it simple and sort, Cloud, choke point suggestions?" said Leon.

"Brink of Despair, the path leading up to it is narrow, and we can slowly fallback across the bridge. We get Kairi and her crew there, they can take the castle while we hold off the city," said Cloud, "We might be one of the newest branches, but we sure as hell aren't the weakest, not by a long shot."

Barret slammed his gun arm down on the table. "Damn straight!"

"Let's be clear on this though, it's going to be a us or them scenario," said Leon, "As much as I wish we could give everyone a chance to get their hearts back, it's not going to happen. We're going to be taking away people's second chances by doing this, if you don't think you can live with it when you get your heart back, back out now. We won't think any less of you for it."

Once again, no one made a move to leave.

"Why not just cross and destroy the bridge? Xion did it," said Kairi.

"They remade and reinforced it, heavily, I don't think that will work again," said Tifa.

Shit...

Kairi gnawed on her lips nervously. "Guys... I..."

"We're doing this Kiddo," said Yuffie, "No ifs ands or butts about it."

"Just... don't... any of you die on me again," said Kairi, a bit hoarsely.

"We'll try not to," said Leon softly.

"Enough dwaddling," said Aerith, leaping off her throne and levitating to the ground. "We move, _now_."

Kairi felt a chill run down her spine as she felt the Nobody's power swell in her body for a moment. Aerith had been scary in her own way as a Somebody, as a scolding nurse kind of figure, one who would never hurt someone but who you _never_ wanted mad at you. As a Nobody not afraid to kill? It took on a whole other level. She did _not_ envy anyone who was going to be running up against her.

"Idea!" called out Tifa, "Circle around Kairi and her group, hide them from view until we reach the Brink, then we'll have until the castle alarms sound to get ourselves ready."

Leon nodded. "Good thinking, alright people, let's... eh... Cloud you do it."

There was a ring of laughter from a few people.

Cloud scowled and leaped off his throne. "Let's mosey people."

Kairi couldn't resist smirking. Being together with all her friends and family again... there were not _words_ for the sensation. The thirteen circle the four tightly as they moved into the City That Never Was, slowly making their way to the castle. She knew that many Nobodies moving in a group had to look odd, or perhaps suspicious, but no one questioned them.

When they reached the Brink of Despair, the group split.

"Xithera, when the alarm starts blaring out here, throw up the biggest sheild you can to make sure no one can teleport, warp, or corridor passed us into the castle," said Leon.

Aerith crossed her arms. "You do realize that maintaining such a shield make it rather difficult to fight, correct?"

"We'll manage," said Leon.

Aerith scowled, but didn't comment.

"When are you guys going to drop the names _HE_ gave to you?" said Kairi, bristling.

Leon shrugged. "When we get our hearts back."

Kairi sighed. "Alright, just... stay safe, please."

Leon nodded. "When the deeds done, send out a signal of some sort and we'll book it out of here. We'll meet, uh..."

"Do you all know where the Land of Departure is?" asked Kairi.

Cloud nodded. "Some of us had recon missions there."

"Go there, ask for Sora, and say Kairi sent you," she explained, "I trust Sora won't let the others hurt you."

Cloud raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

"Alright kid, scoot," said Leon, "And whatever happens Kairi, we love you, even if we can't feel it at the moment."

"Pff, speak for yourself," said Yuffie, "I toootallly feel it right now."

"Kairi, your family is weird, just going to say it," said Axel.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Yuffie.

Kairi smiled at their antics before taking a deep breath and starting towards the Castle That Never Was, Aqua, Axel, and Xigbar at her heels...

* * *


	23. Organization's End

They walked into Nothing's Call and started forward. Kairi briefly had a flashback to Xion fighting against Saix, and was rather glad the man wasn't here to fight them. Not that he'd stand a chance, but, she did remember he used to be Axel's friend when they were whole. She'd rather not kill him unless she had to.

_WARP_

Kairi glanced up, sighting a Dusk sitting ontop of one of the ramps leading into the castle, staring down at them. It took one look at Aqua before it's mouth unzipped and it let loose a peculiar scream that echoed into the castle. Within seconds, more screams echoed within the castle, and then an alarm started blaring full force from within the castle.

"Well shit, that didn't last long," said Xigbar.

_HISS_

Kairi's eyes went wide as a single blade of blue energy appeared in Aqua's right hand. She was a blur as she suddenly appeared infront of the Dusk and severed it in half. Kairi took a closer look at it, it was made of pure energy, and it wasn't actually being held like a blade, more like it was a beam of energy held slightly in front of her palm's and swung light a sword, maybe like... an ethereal blade? If she had to put a name to it.

"We move, _now_ ," ordered Aqua.

Axel summoned his chakrams, Xigbar summoned his guns, and Kairi summoned Oathkeeper...

_FLASH WHINE_

Kairi was surprised when a flash of light erupted from her other hand, and a complete Two-Become One appeared in her other hand. She stared at it silently, glancing back and forth between it and Oathkeeper. Both were whole, neither were broken...

"Ha, guess the kiddo still want's a piece of the action, part of you or not," said Xigbar, amused.

"Xion...," whispered Kairi.

_WARP_

Hoards of lesser Nobodies started appearing and rushing at them, giving them no more chance to speak. Hoard or not, they were no match for the four of them. They cut a swath through the Nobodies and into the Crooked Ascension. When they boarded the elevator's however, nothing happened.

"The cut em, great," muttered Axel.

"I'll deal with it, I trust you three are competent enough to handle the Nobodies?" said Aqua.

Kairi nodded. "We got it."

Nothingness surrounded Aqua like an aura, and she levitated into the air. She aimed her hands upwards, and tendrils of nothingness spread out of her, grabbing the elevator they were on and pulling it upwards through strength of will. Nobodies kept warping in, gunning for Aqua, but the three of her surrounded her in a protective triangle. Keyblades were swung, guns were fired, chakrams went flying along with fire.

"Yo Xigbar, can't you call your sniper's off?" yelled Axel, leaping and deflecting a bullet away from Aqua.

"Pff, as if, you think that old coot actually gave me any control over them?" retorted Xigbar.

"Well, out snipe them then!" yelled Axel.

Xigbar switched from dual guns, merging them into a single long rifle and knelt underneath where Aqua floated. "Cover me."

Axel and Kairi had to put a bit more effort to protect the both of them, allowing Xigbar to gun down the Nobodies attacking their group from out of range.

"And what about you and your boys?" said Xigbar.

"Uh... stop attacking us!" yelled Axel at a spiky Nobody.

The Nobody in question threw itself at Axel and exploded, almost sending him flying off the elevator, and hit Aqua. The elevator lurched a little as she lost concentration for a moment.

"Ha!" said Xigbar as he staggered a bit, amused, "That answers that."

Kairi stabbed her keyblades into the elevator floor to keep herself from starting to slide.

"Imbeciles," said Aqua, managing to correct the elevator. "Must I do this myself?"

"Jeez bluebird, don't get your panties in a bunc...," began Xigbar.

A storm of nothingness ripped out of Aqua's body, black and white lightning surging out to turn each Nobody it touched into dust. The storm continued as they rose higher and higher up the Crooked Ascension, no matter how many Nobodies threw themselves at them, the storm ate them all. Kairi lowered her keyblades and took a slight breather, the other two doing the same.

"Damn bluebird," muttered Xigbar, "You haven't been slacking sitting in the mansion of yours."

Aqua didn't comment, her entire focus on raising the elevator and maintaining the nothing storm.

Kairi had to admit, she was impressed. "Wonder how strong Master Aqua really was if her Nobody is this strong..."

"Pff, kiddo, I'm not knocking the woman, but 'Master Aqua' wouldn't hold a candle to almost any serious fighter nowadays. Nobody back then can really compare to what ten years of fighting a Heartless Apocalypse can do to someone's strength," said Xigbar.

"Fair enough," said Kairi.

"Though," said Xigbar, a grin on his face, "I wonder how strong she'll be when she's recompleated..."

Kairi gave him a curious look. "Recompleated? You mean when she eventually grows her heart back?"

Xigbar smirked, but said nothing.

Kairi frowned. She had the nagging sensation, in the back of her head, that Xigbar was hiding something. That man knew _FAR_ more than he let on, he had since the beginning...

"Xigbar, what are you to Xehanort?" asked Kairi.

"I used to be his right-hand man," said Xigbar, "Before Aqua made me a deal and I switched sides."

Which meant he had insight to a lot of Xehanort's plans... but...

"A deal for what?" she asked.

"Those things in your hand," he answered.

Kairi stared at him, and then Aqua, surprised. "You promised him a Keyblade?"

"I said before that I do not remember any promise," said Aqua, her voice slightly strained with focus.

"As a heads up, that excuse ain't gonna fly when you're whole," said Xigbar with amusement, though, Kairi did see a hardened glint in his eye.

Aqua didn't reply.

The elevator reached the top a few minutes later and they walked out into Twilight's View. Kairi walked to the edge of the stair platform and glance out of a Nobody Symbol shaped hole, out into the City That Never Was. There was a barrier surrounding the castle, she could feel Aerith's nothingness emanating from it. She was moderately impressed the woman could maintain such a huge barrier to...

Her thoughts trailed off and she paled as she sighted explosions emanating far below, and the sea of Nobodies try to breach through her friends and family from Nothing's Watch. She gripped the railing tightly. That... that was so many... could they handle that?!

"We have to move, move now!" said Kairi in a full blown panic.

She took off up Twilight's View and into the Hall of Empty Melodies.

"Kairi wait up!" yelled Axel.

_CRACK_

Lightning surged down from above and into the space between Kairi and the others, causing a massive explosion of electricity that separated them.

_FLASH_

A barrier of lightning appeared, cutting Kairi off from the others. Kairi rose to her feet and glanced up, sighting Larxene as the woman leapt from an above balcony and landed a bit in front of Kairi. The rage on the woman's face took Kairi's breath away and made her feel squeamish. This wasn't faked or forced, Larxene was **_PISSED_**.

"You little bitch," swore Larxene with such viciousness it made Kairi tense, "You took her away! You murdered Xion!"

Kairi flinched and took a step back. "Larxene... I..."

"Huuuuaaaaah!" roared the woman, lightning exploding out from her in all directions.

Kairi raised her keyblades defensively to block the electricity. Larxene flew at her, lightning coating her body and raining down from the sky with each slash of her knives. Kairi blocked and backpedaled, put on the defensive immediately. There was no warm ups or testing the waters, Larxene was cutting loose and going for the kill right away. Kairi knew she was far stronger than Larxene, but this onslaught was relentless, she didn't have a chance to try and take the offensive.

"Larxene! Stop!" yelled Kairi, "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Yeah? Well I want to make you **_BLEED_**!" screamed Larxene.

Kairi staggered a bit as a dagger got through her defenses and sliced open her cheek, electricity washing over her face and making her lose focus. A bolt of lightning hit her chest and sent her flying to the ground, skidding along. Kairi shook her head, healed herself, and vaulted to her feet as the woman rushed at her.

"Sorry Xion," whispered Kairi with remorse.

"LIGHT!" roared Kairi, unleashing Salvation.

She was shocked when Larxene dove right into the storm of light, not caring about the power tearing into her, and stabbed a knife right into Kairi's chest. Kairi screamed in pain and staggered. Larxene tripped her and drove her to the ground, raising her hands and stabbing down over and over again, making Kairi continually cry out. Kairi dropped her keyblades and lashed out with her hands, grabbing Larxene's wrists to stop her. Powerful light washed out of Kairi, mending her wounds as she slowly twisted the woman's wrists, making her drop the knives.

Kairi headbutted her, driving her skull against the woman and then kicked her off. Kairi summoned her keyblades as she rose and charged the woman as she struggled to rise to her feet, raising them into the air to bring them down and...

_NO!_

Kairi froze, her entire body froze, as Xion's voice ripped into her head and her entire body clamped up.

Larxene stared up her, baffled and tense.

Kairi felt it, the weak pained nudge from the depths of her heart. Kairi numbly let her consciousness be pushed aside, shocked by what was happening. Xion... she was still...

Kairi watched, passively, as her body closed it's eyes and her keyblades lowered to the ground. "L...lar...x...xene..."

Larxene froze up. "X-Xion?"

Xion opened Kairi's eyes, her entire body shaking with effort. "I... m...ma...de... th...is... ch...oi...ce... p...please... d...do...n't... be... s...sad..."

"Gods... Xion, what's wrong with you?" whispered Larxene, horrified.

Kairi could feel it. Commanding a body and speaking was so far beyond what Xion should be doing right now. The girl ought to be resting, sleeping for however long it took. The pain she felt emanating from the girl's shattered pieces of her heart was so awful. Kairi didn't even know how the girl still had the consciousness to even do this. Yet... somehow she still did it, to save her friend. The power of the girl's heart, even when it was in tatters... Kairi didn't know what to think or feel at it...

Xion smiled at her. "I... cou...ldn't... k...ill... he...r..."

"Xion... you... you were the only one who ever made me feel like it would be okay to get my heart back," said Larxene, her eyes almost looking watery, as if she were struggling to try to cry, "How could you just leave us?"

Xion sighed and fell to a knee, closing her eyes. Kairi felt the girl collapse back into her heart, silent. The mere moments she had been in control were to much for her to handle. She took back over and rose to her feet, staring down at Larxene.

"Larxene," said Kairi quietly, "I wish with everything I had, that Xion could have been the one to make it, not me. But she refused, she sacrificed herself to restore me, against my wishes I might add, because that's who she was."

Larxene bowed her head. "..."

Kairi offered a hand. "I don't want to fight you, or kill you. I can't do that to Xion, not after that. So please, help us, or just leave."

Larxene looked up at her, grief stricken. "Alright... I... I'll help you. For Xion."

Kairi smiled warmly at her.

"Kairi! Look out!" cried out Axel.

Kairi blinked a few times, looking back at him, confused. "What?"

Kairi yelped as Larxene suddenly shoved her back.

_STAB_

Kairi's eyes went wide with shock as a spear blew through Larxene's chest, right where Kairi had been a split second ago. spraying Kairi with a bit of blood. Kairi landed on her back and stared, horrified, as Xaldin leaped down and grabbed the spear, hefting Larxene up. He brutally threw her to the ground, stamped on her back, and ripped his spear out of her.

"I've had about all I can stand of traitors," spat Xaldin.

Larxene shakily reached a hand out towards Kairi. "X...xion..."

The hand fell, the woman's eyes closed, and she faded away into nothingness.

Kairi shook, she shook as Xion's grief erupted through her body. She opened her mouth and they screamed in loss together. The pain was so intense, that if the rage hadn't washed over here then and their, Kairi might have collapsed. She burst to her feet, roaring in fury and pain, surged at Xaldin, her Keyblades glowing so furiously with light they almost appeared to be pure white beams.

The man raised his spears and swung at her. Kairi blew through them, her keyblades severing them in half. Xaldin had a moment for his eyes to go wide with surprise before Kairi tore into him.

The pain... it was so overwhelming, all consuming, she couldn't stop if she wanted to. She mercilessly cut into him again and again, trying to give an outlet to it. She kept on going, slashed into where he had been after his body faded away, over and over again, sobbing uncontrollably

Arms grabbed hers and Axel's voice rang out. "Kairi! It's over, he's gone!"

Kairi's knees wobbled and she fell to the ground, she cried out in a dual echoing voice, one Kairi, one Xion. "It... hurts Axel... it hurts so much..."

Axel suckered in a breath before he hesitatingly knelt down behind Kairi and wrapped his arms around her. "Shh Xion, shh. I... I know it hurts. I'm sorry."

Axel ran a hand through her hair and kept murmuring quietly into her ear for a few minutes. Slowly, the pain started to ebb, and Kairi blinked a few times, coming out of the daze.

She glanced down at Axel's arms wrapped around her. "Umm..."

Axel let go and stood up, looking a little skittish, scratching the back of his head. "Uh... sorry about that. She just..."

"It's fine," murmured Kairi, "She... she needed it."

Kairi brought a hand up to her chest. "Xion... I'm so sorry..."

There was no response, just the continued presence of her dulled pain. Xion... should never have had to have felt that loss, that pain... she... she had failed her...

Aqua strode past them. "We've dawdled here to long, we move."

Kairi glared at her. "Have you no heart? Just... give me a minute."

Aqua glanced back at. "No, I don't have a heart in case you forgot. Grieve if you must, but grieve later when we are not on a timer."

Kairi went silent at that before sighing, and starting slowly after her.

"Is Xion... okay?" Axel asked quietly.

"I don't know, that was the first time she really acted since... she... gave my heart back," said Kairi quietly, "She's not actively talking to me like I was to her. She's in no condition to do so. What she did... really hurt her to do."

Axel went silent at that.

"I'm going to set a ground rule though," she said in a warning tone, "I'm... fine with you doing something like that if she really needs it, but no way in hell are you ever kissing her through me, got it?"

Axel looked at her, incredulous. "I care for Xion, deeply, but not like... she's... just a kid. We... we weren't... never even told her..."

She stopped him. "You meant the world to her, even if she didn't properly know how to describe or understand the way you made her feel."

Axel opened and closed his mouth a few times, speechless.

"Though," she added with a light jab, "I kinda think your an 'old creeper'."

Axel bristled. "Old?!"

Xigbar slapped his shoulder. "Ha! Flamsilocks and the kiddo, sitting in a tre..."

"Pay attention!" yelled Aqua.

Kairi looked forward in time to see another mass of lesser Nobodies charging at them. The group sprang back into action and began to move, carving a path up deeper into the castle.

Though, when they passed the infirmary...

Mixinne stood in the doorway, silently looking at them, but doing nothing. The mouses eyes were cold as they regarded the group, her lips tight.

"I've seen the battles and the fires raging below. So congratulations Xion," said the mouse coldly, "In less than a month, you've managed to destroy what we spent ten years building here. I hope you're 'happy'."

Kairi ignored the jab and stared at her awkwardly, she hadn't paid attention to it while within Xion, but, she was certain this was...

"Minne," said Kairi, slowing down to a stop.

The mouse frowned at her. "..."

"Stop wasting time, if she's not fighting, she's not worth the effort," called back Aqua.

"Minne, Mickey misses you, so much," said Kairi.

The mouse clenched her fists. "Why would he? He wasn't there when I died, he wasn't there to help!"

"That's not fair to him!" said Kairi, "It eats away at him, he doesn't even go back to Disney Castle anymore because of how much your death hurt him."

The mouse said nothing.

"Go back to Disney Castle Minne," said Kairi, starting forward again, "Mickey needs you."

She paid no further attention to the mouse and took off after the others. Minnie's fate would be her own. They continued up onto Naught's Skyway, they were getting closer to the top now and...

Kairi's eyes went wide as she saw the barrier surrounding the Castle That Never Was fall. Her heart lurched and she rushed to the side, desperately trying to glance down over the edge and down to the city so far below.

If... if the barrier was down... then... Aerith...

"No, please no," she whispered fearfully.

"Hey hey hey, you don't know if shes dead, she could just be knocked out or something," said Axel hurriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Either way," said Kairi, her voice a little hollow, "They'd have to have gotten passed the others to get to her."

Kairi walked passed him silently, trying to not to start shaking and keep herself in control...

_SCREAM_

Kairi's heart froze as from down far below, echoing up to them, were unnatural and horrific screams. She recognized them instantly, along with the wave of pain that suddenly washed over her heart. She staggered and gripped the rails tightly.

"What the heck was that?" said Axel.

Kairi glanced down fearfully into the City That Never Was, at the new blossoming explosions and battles. "Ascended..."

"Eh? You mean the creatures Xion fought?" said Axel, alarmed.

Kairi nodded, color draining from her face. "Oh gosh... they... they have to get out of there!"

Kairi aimed a hand and unleashed a blast of light into the nights sky as a signal for her friends and family to run. Screw them trying to hold out in the hell the city had just turned in. She didn't care if Nobodies or Ascended started pouring into the castle, they had to get out of there!

"What are you doing?" demanded Aqua, "They were supposed to hold..."

"THEY CAN'T!" screamed Kairi at her, shaking with fear, "You don't understand what just stepped into this place! I can feel them... all that pain... there's hundreds, thousands of them entering the world..."

"Why the heck now though?" said Axel uneasily.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Xigbar, "We just caused all kinds of hell by doing this, the city's practically in anarchy. This is the perfect time for those things to attack. I don't think anyone even knew those things knew where this world was."

Xigbar glanced down grimly into the city. "It's going to be a slaughter, one way or the other."

"Why here?" grumbled Axel, "It's still risky to fight the entire population of Nobodies like this..."

Kairi glanced up at Kingdom Hearts in the sky. "I... I think that's why..."

By the light, forget Xehanort, what would happen if _THOSE THINGS_ got their hands on that Kingdom Hearts?

"It means," said Aqua clearing her throat, "We need to move, _now_. Kill Xehanort, destroy that Kingdom Hearts, and _GO_."

They bolted at top speed, booking it into Proof Of Existence.

They slowed to a stop, sighting Luxord waiting for them. He sat on his Proof, rolling three dice in his hands. He cast them in their direction, a six, a five and a two, totaling thirteen. Xion...

"Is this how you wanted it to be, Xion?" said Luxord coldly.

Kairi felt her heart constrict at his words, felt _Xion_ constrict. "Luxord... just go."

He frowned at her. "Go where? There's nowhere for those of nothing but here."

"That's a lie Luxord, everything Xehanort's said to you all has pretty much been a lie," said Kairi, "It's possible for a Nobody to regrow their hearts."

Luxord said nothing, studying her.

"Just... be yourself, interact with people, try to feel, and it will grow, I don't know how long it will take, but it will eventually grow back," said Kairi.

Luxord frowned in contemplation before he slowly raised a hand into the air for them to see, put it into his coat, and withdrew a card. "Catch Xion."

Kairi didn't correct him, she simply caught the card when he threw it to her. She stared silently down at a joker card with Xion's face on it.

"I thought you'd find it amusing, as a gift to my favorite player," said Luxord before he turned and left through a Corridor of Darkness.

Kairi stared down at it silently, a sad smile on her face, before she pocketed it. At least one of them had taken the peaceful way out and walked away. She glanced around the Proof of Existence, sighting the way up blocked by a barrier that was connected to the three Proofs still glowing active aside from Axel, Xigbar, and oddly enough, Xion's. Mesaxn, Vexen, and Saix's.

"Alright, you three go deal with them, I'll keep the room clear," said Xigbar, cocking his guns.

"Give them the option to leave quietly, for Xion," said Kairi softly.

"I make no promises," said Aqua, making for Mesaxn's Proof.

Axel went into Saix's without a word.

Leaving Vexen to Kairi. She wasn't figuring on a fight, not with him. She banished her keyblades, walked up to it, touched it, and vanished...

...reappearing in a place than made her stomach twist violently. She was in a mad scientists lab straight out of a horror film. There were pods of people with bits and pieces missing from them, as if they were incomplete. Whats worse...

What's worse was that she _recognized_ them. They weren't people...

As Xion was to her... she saw them, she saw incomplete replicas of those she knew.

The other Princesses of Heart...

The Keybearers...

And on a table, strapped down, was an incomplete replica of Sora that Vexen was looking over.

Kairi shook, she shook with _rage_ , she shook with _hate_. "You... you _bastard_..."

Vexen gave a start and whirled. "What? Xion?"

"It's Kairi," she snarled out, Oathkeeper appearing in a viscous flash of light.

Vexen took a hesitant step back. "N-now Princess..."

"Shut up!" she yelled at him, "You... your the one who made Xion the way she was, weren't you? You made her to be a parasite! You gave her life, only to force her to try to be a monster! You... you're the one who gave her no choice..."

"She's in pieces inside my heart," snarled out Kairi, taking a step forward, "Because of what **_YOU_ ** made her be!"

Vexen summoned his shield and held it out defensively. "Now that's unfair! I followed the Superior's orders, no more no less. It wasn't exactly a choice!"

"There's always a choice," she spat out.

She glanced down at the incomplete Sora replica, and by the light, it _hurt_ to see it in pieces, even if it wasn't him. "How did you even get all of their memories to start these?"

"We didn't. We used the copy of your memories we used for Xion of them to start as a base for the Superior's replacement plans, of course, we'd need to eventually get a sample from the replacees in order too...," began Vexen.

Kairi was _**DONE**_. She threw Oathkeeper like a spear, slipping it by Vexen's shielded, skewering him, carrying him back through the air, and embedding him in the wall. The man stared down at it, in shock, before he dropped his shield and slowly faded away into nothingness.

Kairi stared numbly around the room, at all the incomplete replicas, not even fully alive yet, cursed and doomed to leech off those they had been made in the image of without choice. "What... what am I supposed to do?"

_Set... them... free..._

Two-Become One appeared in her hand in a flash.

Kairi's stomach plummeted. Light... was Xion asking her to... but... they were... maybe the closest things Xion would actually have as a real family if they were finished and...

It hit her a second later. They were incomplete, not even alive yet. Without Vexen to complete them, or the memories of those they were made in the image of, they never would be. Maybe... it was better this way... they'd never know the pain that Xion had to go through, never risk the choice she'd had to make...

She walked up to the operating table and shakily raised her keyblade over the incomplete Sora replica, a tear sliding down her face...

Before she brought the keyblade down.

Once for him...

Once for every other replica in their pod...

She unleashed white fire across the room before she left, setting it aflame to destroy all of Vexen's work so no one could ever repeat it. Life should _NEVER_ be made just to chase power... never be made for so cruel a purpose. She would never, _ever_ , speak to anyone what she saw in there... what she did...

She came out to the Proof of Existence, sighting Aqua standing quietly next to Mesaxn's proof. It's light had gone out, and with it, Kairi saddened a little. Mesaxn had been a honest and kind old man from what Xion had seen of him. What a damn shame...

Axel was leaning against Saix's unlit proof, bruised and battered, scorch marks over his coat. The pained look on Axel's face was all Kairi needed to see to know what happened...

_SCREAM_

They all froze as a _MUCH_ closer scream of an Ascended sounded down the hall.

"Ah crap," said Xigbar, "They're in the castle now, let's go!"

"The round room isn't much farther," said Xion.

"He wont be there," said Xigbar, "Head to the Alter instead."

"The what?" said Kairi.

"Xion never went there, the Alter of Naught is at the top of the castle," said Axel, "We know the way."

They ran up an exterior passage that led further up the tower, and then into a hall of invisible platforms. When Axel had just started running across what appeared to be empty space, Kairi had just stopped and stared for a second before following.

"Alright, just up and passed Ruin and Creation's Passage and were at the alter," said Xigbar.

_Thud Thud Thud._

Kairi froze. She recognized that tap of a staff on the floor anywhere. She stopped running and turned. There, at the bottom of the passage, was the great horned witch, Maleficent. At her side was the creature she called Pete, and a great many Ascended starting to pool in behind her. They had ascended the castle at an even faster pace then the four of them had. Well, they had cleared the way after all...

"Kairi! Move it!" called back Axel.

That drew Maleficent's attention, she focused briefly on Kairi, before glancing passed her...

A surprised look crossed her face before her lips curled into her nasty grin and she spoke in a mocking voice that echoed through the room. "Well well well, do my eyes deceive me, or is that 'Lady Aqua'? It has been some time."

Kairi blinked a few times and glanced back up at Aqua, who had paused just before the exit. They knew eachother?

Aqua turned and glanced down at the witch, a frown on her face. "That voice..."

Aqua started back down, much to Kairi's surprise, and Maleficent started up, both went alone. Kairi tensed, feeling uncertain all of the sudden. the two stopped one platform away from one another, staring each other down.

"Who are you?" asked Aqua.

Maleficent raised an eyebrow before mocking, "Oh? You do not remember me? All the hours we spent pouring over the mysteries of darkness together, I'm _hurt_."

"Your voice and face are... familiar to me, though, your appearance does not match the brief fragments of memory I have of you," said Aqua cautiously.

"Of course not, while before I was weak, now, I have ascended!" said Maleficent, raising her arms in the air dramatically.

Aqua didn't seem impressed. "I see."

Maleficent studied Aqua for a moment before she raised the back of her head to block a mocking chuckle. "Ah... I understand... you are one of these base, empty creatures. So then, empty shell of Aqua, you do not bear their coat, so what are you here for?"

"To kill Xehanort," she answered simply.

Maleficent slowly shook her head, seeming greatly amused. "I believe the phrase is: if at first you don't succeed, try again, is it not?"

Aqua didn't respond.

Maleficent grinned at her. "I would ask how your first attempt went, but considering your Heartless nearly extinguished the entire Realm of Light, I think we know the answer to that, don't we."

Aqua simply stared at her.

Maleficent's grin faded into a scowl. "It is sad to say I actually miss our old back and forth. You provide little entertainment compared to your original self. I dare say you bore me."

"I am not here to _be_ entertainment," said Aqua simply, baring her Ethereal Blade, "Stand down, or fight, witch."

Maleficent slowly brought up her shadowy hand, a counter appearing in the air. "You paved the way for my ascension, so for that, and I suppose for old times sake, I will spare you but ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" questioned Aqua.

"Why, to do the job you set out to do ten years ago of course, and actually kill the old man," said Maleficent before a cruel smile splashed across her face, "Otherwise, I'll do it myself, as you instructed me to do so long ago."

Aqua deadpanned. "With an army of creatures that make my skin crawl even without a heart to feel it?"

Maleficent smirked. "Ah, there it is. I was wondering if you had any of your... charm... left."

Aqua said nothing, merely turning to go.

"As a warning, if you're still here in when that ten minutes is up, well, I hope you will enjoy being conscripted into my ranks," said Maleficent darkly.

Aqua frowned at her. "We will see."

"Tick tock Aqua, the countdown begins," said Maleficent, a dark chuckle escaping her lips.

Aqua fully turned and walked back to, and passed them, heading up for the Alter of Naught. Kairi took one more look at the horned witch, shivered, and followed suit.

"Pouring over the mysteries of darkness together eh?" murmured Xigbar, "Guess I know where she disappeared to for those three weeks now."

Kairi didn't comment. She did not like to think Master Aqua, the real whole one, had _anything_ to do with that witch. The notion made her stomach twist anxiously. The dark thought that Master Aqua might have had something, _anything_ , to do with the creation of these creatures... didn't sit well with her, _at all_.

When Aqua got her heart back, and hopefully her memories with it, she had some explaining to do.

Finally, they came out to the top of the castle, and walked up a set of steps. There, at the edge of the alter, staring up at Kingdom Hearts, was Xehanort.

The man slowly turned and stared at Aqua, silent for a moment, before he spoke, "Thus, here we are again, you and I. It would seem to be fate, for us to clash once more."

Aqua pointed her Ethereal Blade at him and simply said, "I do not care about fate. I am here because..."

She briefly pointed her blade up at Kingdom Hearts. "...your 'plan's' threaten Olette."

Kairi bristled a little. Not even a mention of Xion? Or safeguarding the worlds?

Xehanort scowled. "Even now, as but a shell of your former self, it is still your 'friends' that drive you."

The man slowly shook his head. "Some things never change."

The man frowned. "I underestimated you the first time Aqua, that won't happen again."

Aqua blitzed forward and skewered him with her blade in response.

To Kairi's surprise, Xehanort's form distorted and faded away. "It's... an illusion?"

"Up above!" said Xigbar, pointing his gun up.

Kairi looked up, her eyes wide to see Xehanort slightly below Kingdom Hearts, his arms held up to it. "It's time to begin."

His voice boomed. "Kingdom Hearts! Bestow onto me! Your power!"

"Xehanort no!" cried out Kairi.

She watched, mortified, as the man pressed his hands against the moon and slowly melded into it. She tensed, fearful, but... nothing happened?

She glanced over at Aqua, and then Axel, and then Xigbar, but they seemed as wary and clueless as she was and...

Kairi was surprised when light started emanating from the ends of her Keyblades. She hesitated briefly before raising them high into the air. Small beams of light shot out, and a pathway, along with a door at the end appeared, as if leading into Kingdom Hearts itself.

"Red carpet treatment huh?" said Axel, "Alright then, guess that's our cue."

Aqua said nothing, simply starting for the door.

Xigbar turned his rifle back into separate guns. "Alright then, let's get this show started."

Kairi stared silently at the door for a moment. If Xehanort had taken the power of this Kingdom Hearts into himself, even if it wasn't the real one that slept in the Realm of Darkness, then...

She sorely doubted the power of the Cornerstone she had absorbed into herself was going to be enough. She hoped, she prayed, that the others would help close the distance.

She took a deep breath, let it out, and followed the others to, and through, the door...


	24. Darkness of the Unknown

The world Kairi found herself in after walking through the door wasn't anywhere she had been before. It was barren wasteland, not an ounce of green in sight, only dry crag. Of in the distance, along the ledge they were on, were canyons. Off the ledge, far out beyond their reach, were devastated mountainsides, remnants of ancient battles. The lack of life, of light, of even darkness, was offputting to Kairi. This place... just felt dead. The way the mountains in the distance swayed and warped didn't help either, she couldn't help but wonder if what she saw was real or not.

"This place...," whispered Aqua, her voice hushed, "I've been here before... its... its..."

Kairi turned to glance at Aqua, surprised to see her look so... unsettled. She swore this was was the most emotion she had seen from the woman, and it wasn't the good kind.

"It's the Keyblade Graveyard," said Xigbar, "Or well, the old coot's recreation of it.

"Keyblade... Graveyard?" questioned Kairi.

Xigbar's eyes flickered to Aqua. "In a sense, you could say its the place Aqua won, and lost, everything."

"It's a dump," said Axel flatly.

"Ha, I suppose it is," said Xigbar, "Lets go, old coot and the witch wont wait forever."

The moment they started walking, a wind picked up, and in front of them, a second transparent Aqua appeared. Kairi's eyes went wide at the sight of _her_ , the Aqua of her memories, her past, a whole person. The woman walked to the edge of the ledge they were on and stared out.

She held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade. " _There will not be a second war. Not so long as I live._ "

The wind picked up again, blowing dust at them. When it cleared, the echo was gone.

Aqua walked up to where she had been. "I... remember that..."

She slowly raised her hand, mimicking the vision, as if to summon her Keyblade, but nothing happened. She lowered her hand, shook her head, and started off towards the canyons.

"Uh... what the heck was that? Is he trying to mess with us or what?" said Axel.

"Us? No. Aqua? Yes," said Xigbar, "He doesn't consider any of us threats, only her."

"His mistake," muttered Kairi.

"Kiddo, let me give you a piece of advice," warned Xigbar, "I don't care how strong you think you've gotten, don't _ever_ underestimate that old coot."

Kairi went silent at that, merely moving to walk after Aqua, the other two doing the same. She kept her eyes peeled and her senses open, yet... there was just nothing. No, there wasn't nothing, off in the distance, she could feel him, Xehanort, waiting for them. Kairi kept a special eye on Aqua as they walked. She had never seen the Nobody look so... haunted. Echoes appeared here and there as they walked, showing the Aqua of the past walking ahead of them before vanishing. Each time, Aqua flinched a little. It was bizarre to Kairi, why was the Nobody reacting so much now? After so long of seeming so... apathetic?

They continued walking until they came to a small open area leading to a very narrow pathway through the rocky mountains, ominous light shinning down it.

Aqua paused at the entrance. "I remember... it's past here, isn't it? The crossroads?"

Xigbar walked up to stand next to her. "Yeah."

"Hold on a sec, you just happen to remember, again? That's twice now, isn't that... kind of a coincidence?" said Axel.

"Not with the old coot it's not," said Xigbar, "This place is inside Kingdom Hearts, it's made up of the hearts of countless people whose hearts were freed from the Heartless."

He glanced at Aqua. "That might include yours."

Kairi stretched out her senses, hoping to feel something 'Aqua' out in the world around them. There was nothing, if Aqua's heart helped to make up this Kingdom Hearts, she either couldn't detect it, or it wasn't anywhere close. Either way, she wasn't so sure Xigbar was right...

Aqua said nothing to what the man said, merely moving to walk down the pathway. Kairi followed suit, only to pause as Axel grabbed her arm.

"Kairi, you watch yourself when this begins, alright? It's more than your life at stake in there, got it?" said Axel, pointing at her heart.

Kairi stared at him for a moment before pulling away, muttering, "I'll try not to get Xion killed, thanks for caring."

Axel winced a little. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Just... I can't lose what's left of that kid."

Kairi sighed and started walking, silent as she walked down the pathway...

Her eyes went wide with surprise as they came out the otherside, into a barren open wasteland _FILLED_ with hundreds if not thousands of Keyblades stabbed into the ground. "What... what is this...?"

"I... think... this is where the final battle of the Keyblade War took place," said Aqua, a hand up to massage her forehead, looking lost in a memory.

Kairi's eyes furrowed. "Keyblade War...?"

"Never heard of it kiddo? Don't they teach you kids anything these days?" mocked Xigbar, a smirk on his face.

Something about it was vaguely familiar. It might have been mentioned when she was told about the original conflict with Xehanort ten years ago, some of the details of that conversation were a bit... hazy... to Kairi. It had not been a good time for her.

They paused as another echo of Aqua appeared and approached a key, lifting it up. " _Nothing, it truly is dead in every sense of the word._ "

She vanished, reappearing a ways away. To Kairi's surprise, a younger Terra appeared and began to talk quietly with her. She smiled softly to see the two of them embrace in a hug. Her jaw dropped when a _MUCH_ younger looking Ventus appeared and started teasing his two friends.

"That's what Ven looked like as a kid? He's adorable," said Kairi, trying to suppress a giggle, "And much shorter."

"Terra... Ven...," whispered Aqua's Nobody, clutching the side of her head.

Kairi shot her a worried look. She was looking off-balanced, her eyes hazy.

" _If he wins, I'm asking you guys... as a friend... just... put an end to me_ ," she heard Ven's voice echo over to them.

Kairi stared at the echo of the boy, shocked and baffled. "What?"

"Kiddo there was part of the X-Blade," said Xigbar, "One piece of a pair, technically I suppose he should have been looked at as one piece of twenty, but the old coot got greedy according to Aqua."

The wind picked up and gusted down, the crossroads. However, instead of the echos banishing, two new echoes appeared, Xehanort and a boy in a skin tight red and black suit.

"Is that... um... the Vanitas the Master's mentioned?" wondered Kairi, wracking her brain.

Xigbar nodded. "Yeah, freaky kid let me tell you. Be glad you never had to meet him. You know how your pure light?"

Kairi nodded.

"He's pure darkness," said Xigbar.

Kairi paled a little. "Oh..."

Kairi watched as the echo of Xehanort and Vanitas approached the echo of her Master and her friends.

Xehanort held a hand out and slowly waved it over the area. " _Behold. These lifeless keys used to be full of power, united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat..._ "

He thrust his hands into the sky. ". _..as a great Keyblade War raged!_ "

" _Countless Keyblade Wielders gave up their lives all in search of one, ultimate key, and it will soon belong to me..._ ," he continued before pointing a finger at Ventus, " _X-Blade._ "

The echoes slowly vanished as they charged at one another, and in their wake, came the real Xehanort, his Organization coat blowing in the wind as he approached them. The presence he gave off was staggering compared to before, and made Kairi sweat with nervous anticipation. Ho boy... he had gained a lot of power by merging into this Kingdom Hearts...

Xehanort stopped a ways away from them and stared at Aqua. "Does it bring back memories, to be here again?"

"Yes," answered Aqua quietly.

Kairi sharply looked at Aqua. What was with the Nobody?

Xehanort studied her silently.

Kairi waited, quietly summoning her keyblades, Xigbar and Axel calling their weapons to them as well.

Aqua however made no move to call her weapon, her gaze was hard, an edge to her voice, "My friends... Terra... and Ven. You... took me from them."

"Did I?" questioned Xehanort, "I seem to recall it being your own foolishness that did that. You could have won Aqua, you could have ended it. Yet you didn't. Tell me, do you yet remember, with your own eyes, your own memories, what you did instead?"

Aqua was quiet for a moment before she answered, "Yes."

Xehanort's lips curled into a malicious grin. "You failed them Aqua."

"I know," she answered quietly.

"Aqua don't listen to him!" said Kairi, taking a step forward.

Aqua held a hand out for her to stay back. Kairi hesitatingly obeyed.

Aqua stared at Xehanort, her expression hardening. "I did fail them Xehanort. I can remember that very clearly now. Do you know what else I can remember?"

"What is it?" questioned Xehanort, almost smugly.

"My hate for you," she snarled out.

Xehanort grinned. "Yes, show me again that rage!"

They all tensed, ready to spring into action, but to Kairi's surprise, Aqua didn't act on it.

Slowly, the anger worked it's way out of her face. "And, I remember what that hate brought me. It brought me ruin. It cost me _everything_. It led to the creation of my Heartless, and drowned the Realm of Light in darkness for ten years."

Xehanort frowned intently at that. "..."

"I suppose the only ' _good_ ' out of it was that I met Olette," said Aqua before frowning, "If inflicting an emotionless woman on a child who so hungered for her approval and empathy can be considered a good thing that is."

Aqua slowly held her hand out to her side, the 'snap hiss' of her blue Ethereal Blade forming filling the air. "I'm not blind to what you're doing Xehanort, nor am I stupid. You think bombarding me with these memories will weaken me? Make me lose my sense of self as you so wish? I'd question how you have them to dump into my head, but if I recall correctly we shared a heart for a short time."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I remember very clearly why you started my original self on the path to darkness. You needed her to be of a similar alignment to yourself. I also remember what Xigbar told us, you want to put thirteen copies of your heart inside of those who had none, and here I am, inside of your Kingdom Hearts, an empty vessel just waiting for your heart if my sense of self weakened enough."

Xehanort glared at her for a moment. "Hmph, I suppose you've at least learned something from your former self's mistakes."

"Maybe, maybe not, either way I wouldn't need years of wisdom to know a man like you never gives up on something he wants. After all, here we are ten years later with you still trying to create the X-Blade, and still trying to make a host out of me, some things never change," said Aqua.

"I suppose at least this time your trying to do it the right way by trying to make thirteen darknesses for the X-Blade," mocked Aqua, "Your last attempt was rather pitiful if I recall correctly."

Xehanort slowly held out his hand, a red Ethereal Blade sprang out of it. "Perhaps it was. I was overly hasty and lost sight of the correct method, I can admit that now."

"If I cannot use you as a vessel Aqua," said Xehanort, the ground starting to rumble and shake as his energy slowly began to crackle around him, "Then you will be removed from the chessboard."

"We wont let you kill her," said Kairi, stepping up to stand beside Aqua.

Xehanort scoffed. "Kill her? No, she'll rest in a prison of nothingness until I craft the X-Blade and open the door."

Kairi was taken aback. He didn't want to kill her? That seemed stupid, if she was imprisoned, there was always a chance she could escape and stop him. For what reason would he not want to kill Aqua's Nobody? Just purely out of spite to keep her locked up? That didn't... seem intelligent, was she missing something?

"Ha," said Xigbar, "Careful old coot, your getting risky with your words. Don't think you want her figuring _THAT_ out, do you?"

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "Figuring what out?"

Xehanort his head to glare at him. "You, Braig, are a constant source of aggravation to me. I should have had you destroyed the moment I found you again."

"Woopsy daisy," mocked Xigbar, "Must be going senile in your old age."

"Agreed," said Axel.

Xehanort's eyes shone with annoyance as he turned his glare at Axel. "And you, I'd find immense satisfaction destroying you if my heart were complete right now."

Axel grinned before giving a mocking salute, "Nice to know I got under your skin Mister Superior Sir, I tried my hardest."

Xehanort scoffed before glancing briefly at Kairi. "And as for you, Princess, you and my Puppet need to be punished, severely. Ten years I spent crafting the Organization to the peak of it's power, and you two led to it's ruin in not even a tenth of the time."

"Just try it," spat Kairi, twirling her Keyblades, she was ancy to stop the talking and just _END_ it.

Xehanort's lips curled into a grin. "Oh I will, and be warned, while I need the Princesses of Heart alive, there are many ways I can make you wish you weren't. Extracting what's left of the puppet from your heart and torturing it before you would be a good start."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. He had just _threatened Xion_.

She spoke with deadliness in her voice, "Aqua."

"Yes?" the woman replied.

"Are you done talking?" she asked.

"Hmph, I suppose," said Aqua.

"Yeah, timers probably run out with the witch too while we've been chatting," said Xigbar, cocking his guns, "Let's get this show in the road."

"Good," said Kairi, blitzing forward and leaping into the air to swing her Keyblades down at Xehanort.

The old man raised his hand, and the ground below them burst upward. Kairi yelped with pain as the ground faceplaneted her and continued rising into the air. She shook it off and staggered to her feet in time to see more and more pieces of the ground below shoot off high into the air, carrying the others upward. The ground broke off from below and began to levitate and circle through the air, creating a battlefield of disconnected floating rocky platforms. If that wasn't a clue to her that this world definitely wasn't real and didn't follow the normal rules, she didn't know what was.

It wasn't only the ground though that flew upward. The dead keyblades rocketed into the air and swirled overhead, darkening the skies with their number. Xehanort stood on the highest platform and raised his hand again, and then brought it down. The keyblades rained down on the battlefield towards the for of them, forcing them to dodge, weave, and parry aside the onslaught.

Kairi came to the edge of the edge of the platform she was on, hesitated for a brief moment, and leaped. She was pleasantly surprised to find her body disobeyed the rules of gravity just as much as the world around them. She leaped across the distance between her platform and the next, rolling as she landed and springing for the next.

_ROAR_

A immense gust of fire shot passed her towards Xehanort, courtesy of Axel if she had to guess. The man raised a hand and calmly formed a barrier, blocking the blast almost effortlessly, not even turning to look the way it came. Kairi followed the man's gaze, it was locked on Aqua as the woman began trying to close the distance. The storm of flying keyblades focused on her more than the rest of them, trying to keep her pinned and busy.

His mistake.

Kairi leaped again for a platform below and behind his before leaping up, keyblades raised overhead, and swung them down. Xehanort half turned, raised his Ethereal Blade, and blocked effortlessly. Kairi's eyes went wide with surprise as she hung in the air, staring down in disbelief at the crossed blades. The old man didn't even turn his head to acknowledge the attempt. Unreal... she knew he'd be a stronger with Kingdom Hearts, even an artificial one, against just the Cornerstone she had, but this...?

"Your time will come shortly Princess, wait your turn," he said.

He shoved her back and she back flipped through the air, landing and then rushing at him in anger. "Don't you ignore me!"

She swung her Keyblades, only to give a start as they went right through him, making him ripple and fade away. "What?"

_SLASH_

Kairi screamed and staggered as something hot ripped across her back. "Do not be concerned, I'm not."

Kairi fell to a knee and turned her head, hissing in pain, sighting Xehanort standing behind her. How?!

The old man chuckled at her. "Your power is impressive Princess, I'm not going to pretend to know how you managed to amplify it so much in so short a time. It matters not, for you can have all the power you so wish, but with the skills of a neophyte that you have, against one such as I it wouldn't make a difference."

Kairi focused her light and healed her back, standing up and turning to glare at him, Keyblades bare. "Shut up!"

"Do you deny it child? You've had but a simple month or so of proper Keyblade tutelage at the Land of Departure. You have so little knowledge and understanding of how to properly wield what you grip in your hands. You use it as if it were nothing more than a cudgel," mocked Xehanort, "Why, if the real Master Aqua were here, she'd be disappointed."

Kairi's face burned at that, grinding her teeth before charging at him in anger. "Well it's not _MY_ fault you stole her from me! If you hadn't ruined her life she would have come back to train me!"

She swung her Keyblades in separate arcs, but Xehanort swerve his blade back and forth with lightning speed to parry them aside. "I stole nothing child, she made her own foolish choice. And does the thought not pass through your head that if it were not for me, you would never have met her?"

Kairi flinched at the awful truth of that statement, but that was exactly what the old man wanted. He swung his blade, bashed aside Oathkeeper, and made to stab through her arm and incapacitate her...

Only for him to suddenly vanish before he could deal the blow, and where he had been, a blue Ethereal Blade swept through seconds later.

Aqua had arrived.

"Block him out," warned Aqua, "His words are as effective as a weapon if you let them be."

Kairi didn't have a chance to say anything as the woman surged passed her after Xehanort. Kairi took a second to fume at being so easily manipulated before turning to join the fight. Xehanort and Aqua were locked in a dance of Ethereal Blades, red sparking against blue. However, it was very clear almost immediately to Kairi, which one was stronger.

Xehanort had the power of his artificial Kingdom Hearts pumping through him, Aqua didn't. She was hard pressed to keep up with the speed of his blade. Yet... Kairi noticed something odd, something that gave her pause. While she wasn't as seasoned as her father or Cloud in swordplay... if she didn't know any better it looked as if Xehanort was deliberately passing up on chances to land blows on Aqua...

Kairi shook her head and joined the fight from behind, trying to keep the man pinned between her and Aqua. Even with attacks coming from both sides, his blade moved back and forth at inhuman speeds. For an old man, artificial power increase or not, he was _fast_. He could move in a way, Grandma forgive her for thinking it, that an old person should _not_ be able to.

"Here's one for ya!" came a cry.

The dance of blades and keyblades stopped for a short second at the call before a huge blast of energy shot at them. Xehanort had but a split second to form a barrier before the blast hit him head on, exploded, cracked the barrier, and sent him flying off the platform. Kairi and Aqua staggered a bit at the explosion, before glancing at it's source.

Xigbar knelt on a platform a ways away, his guns combined into a rifle that was smoking after the attack. The man had a grin on his face, and began charging power in for another massive attack and...

Kairi's eyes went wide when Xehanort suddenly appeared behind Xigbar, blade raised to kill the man. Only for Axel's chakrams to fly at him, one misdirecting the blade strike, the other slicing into his arm. Xigbar rolled and teleported away as Xehanort staggered, grunting in pain. Axel landed on the platform he was on, recalled his chakrams, and charged.

Kairi took a running leap off her current platform, Aqua doing the same. They rushed forward to help Axel as Xehanort recovered from his surprise and started driving the man back, his blade starting to leave light slashes across Axel's chest and arms as the man failed to keep pace. She came to his defense, leaping into the fray and parrying aside a blow that could have taken an arm, shoving him back.

"Support us at range, don't fight him head on Axel!" she yelled.

"Pfe," spat Axel, "Where's the fun in that?"

"Not dying would be the answer," she shot back, rushing at Xehanort as Aqua came at him again.

Xehanort leaped off the platform and made for another, going at a pace it was hard to keep up with. He didn't stop to engage them aside from redirecting the storm of Keyblades to attack them again. She struggled to think and dodge. She didn't understand, what was he up to? It took her a second after following his direction with her eyes to figure it out.

He was still after Xigbar.

The man kept teleporting to different platforms, trying to keep his distance and take pot shots at the old man. Xehanort was quick though, and kept up pace, no, he was gaining on Xigbar! Her heart skipped a beat. She might not know the man, or even think really well of him for manipulating Xion, but she didn't want him to die.

She picked up the pace and aimed at hand at Xehanort, trying to aim as she cried out, "Shock!"

It was to slow, by the time the light erupted at the location, he was already gone.

"Hey, I know you got a thing for me old coot," said Xigbar between teleports, "But give it a rest!"

_WARP_

Xehanort appeared right in front of Xigbar and drove his Ethereal Blade through the man's chest before he could react.

"Xigbar!" cried out Kairi.

Xigbar glanced back down towards them, a grin on his pain masked face. "Heh... that's the end... of that."

Xehanort placed a hand against Xigbar and blasted him off the platform down towards them. He landed with a heavy thud, his body already starting to disintegrate.

The man looked up at Aqua, chuckling painfully. "See you... on the other side. I expect... what you promised me... when we next meet..."

With that, the man disintegrated into nothingness.

"Shit man...," said Axel, "He and I weren't friends or anything, but..."

Kairi stood riveted in the spot, shaking in anger. And yet... also in the starting of fear. Xehanort had effortlessly been holding off her and Aqua, he only went after Xigbar because getting peppered by charged blasts like that might have been a danger.

"What are we supposed to do?" she whispered.

"What we must," said Aqua, "But... what he said..."

Aqua took a step forward, staring down at where Xigbar had faded away at. "See me on the other side?"

"Didn't think Xig was the religious type," said Axel, his head tilted upwards to eye Xehanort.

The man had made no further move, merely staring down at them, waiting.

"I'm not so sure that is what he meant," murmured Aqua.

Kairi gave her a curious look. "Huh?"

Aqua turned her head to stare up at Xehanort, and to Kairi's surprise, she saw a brief flicker of empty fear in the man's eyes. What in the world...?

"Kairi, take point," ordered Aqua, "I need to test something."

"What?!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Do it," Aqua ordered.

"Uh, I'd rather you not send her and her passenger to get diced thank you very much," said Axel grumpily.

Aqua didn't answer him, her head tilted towards Kairi. "Do you not trust me, _my apprentice_?"

Kairi froze, feeling like lightning had coursed down her spine at those words, those words she had hungered for over the last ten years...

"I remember you fully now, beyond what you told me when we first met," said Aqua.

She chuckled. "He thinks these memories would overwhelm me, distract me, make me question just who I am. But... he forgets exactly that, who I am, what gave me my power, and what drove me."

"Our friends, those we care about," said Kairi softly, "That's our power."

"Go," ordered Aqua.

Kairi didn't question it, she ran to the edge of the platform and leaping up, platform by platform. She took a giant leap and came to Xehanort's rushing at him fearlessly. She had her master back, or at least mostly, and she feared _nothing_ anymore. She swept at him with newfound force, making him put up a little more effort to keep blocking her keystrokes. It frustrated her, that he could still easily manage her, but she trusted in Aqua, whatever plan she had better be good though and...

Xehanort parried aside Oathkeeper, slapped his blade against Kairi's other hand, making her yelp and drop Two-Become One, and made to skewer right through her shoulder...

Only for Aqua to come and shove her out of the way.

Kairi's eyes went wide with fear as she was knocked onto her butt. "Aqua!"

To her shock, Xehanort stopped his blade inches from puncturing through Aqua's chest. The woman made no move other than to glance down at the blade before slowly raising her eyes to meet Xehanort's frustrated one.

Slowly, a malicious grin spread across Aqua's face. "So I am right, aren't I Xehanort? It's why Xigbar didn't give a damn about dying. You truly don't want to destroy me, do you? I think we both know why."

Nothing short of a growl escaped Xehanort's lips.

Kairi glanced back and forth between them, utterly lost and confused.

"And that, Xehanort, gives us a great advantage," said Aqua, forcing his blade aside with her own and swinging at him, "Kairi! No quarter!"

Kairi rushed back into the fight, and what an odd fight it suddenly turned into. Aqua held nothing back and fought with a ruthlessness Kairi couldn't ever recall seeing. She made no defensive moves, leaving herself wide open to be countered, but Xehanort never did, merely trying to force Aqua back before trying to incapacitate Kairi. The strange dance of blades continued until Kairi noticed something off, an orange glow seeming to illuminate them, as if from a fire...

"Get BACK!" roared Axel.

Kairi and Aqua acted instantly, diving out of the way as a torrent of fire burst at Xehanort from Axel. Xehanort raised a hand and formed a barrier, taking the brunt of the damage with it. Kairi took a risk and dove into the inferno, coming at Xehanort from behind and slashing his back as the fire faded. Xehanort staggered a bit before he turned and booted her off the platform with a kick to her stomach. She yelped and fell through the air before landing a ways below. She laid there for a moment, stunned, before slowly rising to her feet, breathing in and out heavily. This... was starting to tire her.

She shook her head and began leaping back up the platforms, noting that Axel had joined Aqua fighting Xehanort directly, chakrams cloaked with fire making sweeps at Xehanort. Dammit! Stupid man, if he got himself killed... Xion would never forgive her. It would crush what was left of her heart. She put on a burst of speed as Axel took a hit, a searing Ethereal Blade slicing down his right arm, making him staggered back and fall to a knee.

Xehanort blocked an attack from Aqua before sneaking a hand under her guard to blast her point blank with nothingness, sending the woman flying back. The man turned to aim a hand at the downed Axel, glowing intensly with power.

"Begone!" he yelled, releasing a burst of energy.

"Axel!" cried out Kairi, an echo in her voice from Xion.

She dove and tackled Axel out of the way of the blast, both of them rolling off the edge and landing on a platform below, Axel on bottom.

"Oww... you're heavy, you know that?" said Axel.

Kairi bristled and resisted the urge to haul off and slap him. "Little gratitude Axel!"

_WARP_

Kairi gave a surprised cry as Xehanort appeared behind them, reaching down to grab the back of her head and hauling her up. She cringed painfully as he squeezed tightly, pressure making her head spin and her eyes water.

"I've had enough of this farce," said Xehanort.

Kairi screamed as he drove his blade through the back of her left knee and then threw her to the ground. She dropped her Keyblades and curled up, bringing her knee to her chest. IT HURT! IT BURNED!

"Get away from them!" roared Axel, rising to his feet and blasted Xehanort with a torrent of fire.

Kairi shakily brought her gloved hands to the searing hole in her knee, whimpering. She wrapped them around it and focused, pouring light into the wound. She took a ragged breath as a shadow stood over her, she glanced up to see Aqua staring down at her. The woman reached down and hauled her to her feet. Kairi wobbled a little, her knee still throbbing with pain.

Aqua offered no words of comfort or instructions, merely diving back into the battle. Kairi stood there, breathing shakily. She looked at the fight, Xehanort showed no signs of being tired. Any hits they had landed on him had little lasting impact. Aqua showed no outward signs of exertion, but Kairi could clearly feel the drop in energy the woman had. Axel was faring worse, and she herself was starting to feel exhausted. Fighting at this intensity... it was worse than fighting through the Shadowlands back during the Heartless Apocalypse.

Kairi started forward, recalling her Keyblades, before staggering as the entire area shook. All fighting stopped as the air began to slowly bleed red in the far outskirts of the battlefield. Kairi could faintly feel an echo of pain enter her heart. This... this was...

"Who dares defile my Kingdom Hearts?" snarled Xehanort.

It was far passed the ten minutes Maleficent had given them. The witch was acting, hungering for Kingdom Hearts.

And oddly enough, it gave them a chance.

She could feel power slowly slipping away from Xehanort, being tainted by the foul power Maleficent used.

But Maleficent wouldn't be any better, in fact, giving those things Kingdom Hearts would probably be even worse. They needed to end this, now, and stop the Ascended from merely picking up the leftovers.

Kairi took a ragged breath and rushed back towards Xehanort, leaping platforms, and restarting the fight with a swing of her Keyblades.

Xehanort was done toying with them however, she could see it. His victory was being challenged by Maleficent, he treated her intrusion and grasp for Kingdom Hearts more seriously than he did them. He was putting more effort into the battle, and even weakened, three on one, he still outmaneuvered and overpowered them.

Xehanort blasted Kairi back, kicked Aqua in her stomach, and turned to deliver a devastating slash down Axel's chest, dropping him to the ground.

"AXEL!" Kairi screamed, rushing back at Xehanort.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Xehanort, surging at Kairi, his blade raised.

Only for Aqua to once again throw herself in the way, shoving Kairi aside.

Xehanort didn't stop this time however.

Kairi watched, horrified, as Xehanort drove his Keyblade right through her chest. "Keeping your Nobody alive isn't worth losing _my_ Kingdom Hearts. I'll deal with the repercussions when they happen."

Xehanort withdrew his blade and kicked her to the ground. Kairi watched numbly as she fell.

Kairi dropped her Keyblades and rushed over. "Master Aqua! NO!"

Xehanort paid her no heed, turning to walk away, hands held into the air in focus.

Kairi knelt down next to Aqua as the woman started to disintegrate. "No! Please... please no... I can't lose you again..."

Aqua stared at her, pained. "You're... not..."

Kairi stared at her helplessly. She didn't understand...

"I don't... know if she... will care for who... I cared for... when she comes back... so please... if she doesn't do so... look after Olette... for me...," whispered Aqua.

Kairi shook, tears streaming down her face, as the woman faded away into nothingness, she let loose an agonized scream, "MASTER AQUA!"

_tremor_

She lurched as the air began to whine around the area. She glanced up, through tear stained eyes, at the conflicting energy around them. Xehanort and Maleficent were struggling for control, each seeking to drive the other out of Kingdom Hearts.

"It's power and light are **_MINE_** ," roared Xehanort, nothingness swelling around him.

Kairi despaired, it was over... one way or another... it was over...

" _Kairi! Don't give up!_ " came a familiar woman's voice, " _Don't forget who you are, and what it is they struggle over!_ "

Kairi froze. That voice...

" _What is Kingdom Hearts?_ " the voice asked.

Kairi slowly stood up, a memory triggering in her mind.

* * *

_Through the connection to her body, Kairi struggled to speak, struggled to get words out of the abyss of darkness Aqua's Heartless wrapped her heart in. "We... know the truth... about Kingdom Hearts... don't we... Sora?"_

_Sora's eye's went wide, and he smiled, "Yeah, we do, don't we? Kingdom Hearts... it isn't darkness..."_

_"What are you two blabbering about?" hissed Aqua's Heartless._

_"We know...," began Kairi, squeezing Sora's hand._

_"...without a doubt...," said Sora, squeezing back._

_"...that Kingdom Hearts...," the said together._

_The air trembled as Kairi reached out with her power, with her light, as they screamed together, " **IS LIGHT** **!** "_

* * *

It was light.

And light was a part of her, as a Princess of Heart, that it was for no one else.

She closed her eyes and focused. She could feel Xehanort and Maleficent's wills and power struggling for control over the artificial Kingdom Hearts. With neither having complete control, it gave Kairi the opening she needed. She dove right into the fray between the two of them, grasping for the light of Kingdom Hearts. She rebuffed Maleficent's attempts to taint and control it and ripped as much of the Light of the artificial Heart of All Worlds away from Xehanort as she could.

The man whirled as Kairi leveled Oathkeeper at him and released a explosion of light. His eyes went wide and cried out in agony as the light washed over him.

"NO!" he roared, struggling against the power, "Kingdom Hearts... is... mine!"

"Kingdom Hearts," she hissed at him in rage, "Is no ones! Lest of all, YOURS!"

She put everything she had into it, and watched Xehanort burn, watched the light char his body and slowly break it apart into pieces. With a final cry, she unleashed one last burst of power and vaporized him before falling to her knees.

"Master... Aqua... that was... for you," she whispered, chocking and trying not to sob.

"K...Kairi...," came a pained whisper.

She glanced up to see Axel trying to crawl over to him. "Did... good... kid."

Kairi couldn't even bring herself to look at him. "Aqua's... gone..."

_tremor_

Kairi glanced up, feeling Maleficent's intrusion and taint start again, sighting the air start to turn blood red. "We... we have to get out of here, and finish it."

"Can... you?" asked Axel.

Kairi slowly stood up and walked over to him, propping him up against her shoulder and wrapping an arm around him. "I can't stop her from taking over Kingdom Hearts forever, even if I was at full strength, she's... she's something else entirely, I don't know how to fight against that kind of creature, that kind of pain. The only way to stop this, is to use Kingdom Hearts, or destroy it."

"How do we... destroy it?" questioned Axel.

"I don't know," said Kairi, focusing the part of the power of Kingdom Hearts that she controlled to warp them outside of it.

They reappeared, floating high in the sky over the World That Never Was, just under Kingdom Hearts, levitating with the Light that bathed over them...

Kairi cringed in pain and nausea as the tormented screams of the Ascended filled the air. She glanced down, sighting Maleficent at the center of the Alter of Naught, hand's outstretched in furious concentration, towards Kingdom Hearts. Kairi could feel them, hundreds and thousands of them in the castle and the world below. She couldn't feel a speck of Nothingness anywhere...

Every single Nobody...

Had been killed...

By the light...

All those people robbed of their second chance...

The weight of the loss nearly made Kairi lose control of the light levitating them. "Mom... dad... you and the others _BETTER_ have gotten out alive..."

"Hold onto me Axel," said Kairi, letting go of him.

The man struggled to do as she said as Kairi raised an open palm to press against Kingdom Hearts. She felt for it, she felt for ALL of it. It was staggering, and threatened to drown her in a power and light so deep it overshadowed both her and the Cornerstones power, making them seem like ants before a giant, and this was just an artificial Kingdom Hearts.

She gazed down on the infested world, overrun by the Ascended. She aimed her hand down at the world below, and began to channel the Light.

Maleficent's eyes snapped open before she roared, "You **_DARE_**?"

Kairi unleashed it, she unleashed it all. Light exploded out of Kingdom Hearts, raining down in a massive beam of energy straight for the world's flesh. Maleficent gave a howl of rage before the woman fled, forming a strange red and black version of a Dark Corridor and running through it, Pete following suit. The energy of Kingdom Heart's hit the ground of the world and punctured through, burrowing deep into it towards it's core.

"K-kairi? The heck... are you...," began Axel.

So like a world being taken by Darkness, the world bucked and cracked, distorting as it started to come apart at the seems, consumed and destroyed not by darkness, but by light. "Hold on Axel!"

She held him tightly and formed a barrier around them as the world exploded, purging every Ascended still on it, and sending Kairi and Axel flying out into the Lanes Between...

* * *

Kairi came to some time later, floating in the Lanes Between next to Axel. She stared up silently into the star lit sky. She felt... exhausted... drained, and battered. Not as much as she had been after Aqua's Heartless had tried to eat her, but when she got home, she felt like she was going to sleep for a week straight...

She didn't have the energy to form a Dark Corridor. Instead, she summoned Oathkeeper and tossed it up, transforming it into her Keyblade Glider raft, and struggled to bring herself and Axel onto it. She weakly stood up and grabbed the steering wheel, slowly flying to the Land of Departure. She hoped, and prayed, with everything she had, that her family and friends would be there to greet her...

Instead, the courtyard was empty, save for Sora sitting on the steps watching them approach.

No... no... they...

Maybe... maybe they were inside! They... they had to be!

She landed her glider in the courtyard and fell to her knees as it vanished.

"Kairi!" yelled out Sora as he ran over.

"A heal would... be nice," she gasped out.

"Curaga!" said Sora, casting a spell.

Axel groaned. "Oh man... what the heck hit us?"

"Umm... your world exploding?" said Kairi sheepishly.

Axel rubbed his eyes for a moment before scowling at her. "Thanks for blowing up my home for the last ten years."

"Well, I don't think you wanted it anymore with what took up residence," she shot back.

Axel was silent before sighing, "Suppose not."

"Kairi, what the heck happened? Where did you go? And whose this?" asked Sora.

"Sora... just help us inside please," said Kairi.

Sora grumbled quietly to himself before wrapping both of their arms over his shoulder and helping them up the steps into the keep. Kairi glanced around feverishly, but no one aside from the Keybearers were at the thrones. The Nobodies of her family and friends were no where to be seen.

Please no...

"Sora... did... did anyone come here?" she asked, she begged desperately.

Sora gave her a confused look. "Huh? No one's come to the Land of Departure since Xion... showed up to help you."

Kairi gave a ragged sob, bowed her head and pulling away from Sora, falling to her knees. "No... they're... all gone..."

"Kairi?" exclaimed Sora.

That drew the attention of the others who came rushing over.

Riku gave Axel a hostile look before glancing down at Kairi. "What happened?"

Kairi said nothing, she just started sobbing, each word ripping painfully at her heart, "Leon... Yuffie... Cloud... Aerith... Cid... Tifa... Arthur... Barret... Rapunzel... Jack... Hiro... Stitch... and Mulan... they're all..."

"They're all dead!" she wailed.

"Kairi...,' said Sora, speechless.

"And Aqua... she... she died saving me...," said Kairi hoarsely.

"Aqua!?" exclaimed Terra, "What are you..."

"Her Nobody," said Axel softly.

"Aqua had a Nobody?!" exclaimed Ven.

"She... they all had a chance... to regrow their hearts... but I got them killed!" she sobbed out, feeling frayed beyond belief, "I got them killed... I..."

She started sobbing uncontrollably into her hands, losing focus on the world around her.

"Get her to bed Sora...," Terra's tired voice echoed around her, "I assume her 'friend' can give us a rundown."

Kairi couldn't focus enough to care as Sora picked her up and slowly brought her to her room. She curled up into a ball and sobbed at the loss until the pain carried her off to a fitful sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overall, I'm... somewhat satisfied with how this story came out. I still don't think, like with book 2, it was as good as book 1, but I feel that it was a bit more focused and less all over the place than book 2. IDK how well I stuck the final battle/end of the chapter. Unlike in cannon, the Artificial Kingdom Hearts never had a chunk blown out of it via Ansem's data machine thing, allowing Xehanort to try and control a fully powered KH. He'd need it obviously, to stand up to his four opponents.
> 
> Xehanort needed to:
> 
> A) Be strong enough to hold his own/overpower them.
> 
> B) Kill Aqua/Xigbar (For obvious reasons that most people in the story don't understand yet).
> 
> C) Still die at the end.
> 
> Not sure how well I finished it. Has a slight Deus Ex Machina feel to me, but, no more than book 2's ending I suppose. Though, that did happen in cannon VS Ansem SoD.
> 
> *shrug*
> 
> So anyway, rambling aside, tell me how you all think I did on book 3.
> 
> What went right?
> 
> What went wrong?
> 
> What could have been better?
> 
> Epilogue and Secret Movie coming up next.


	25. Epilogue: Recompletion

 

 

 

Aqua watched silently, a smile on her face, as the young apprentices Sora, Riku, and Kairi took turns batting the hanging wheels in the training area of the Land of Departure with wooden swords. At her side, Terra and Ven chuckled at the young trio's eagerness. In a sense, it reminded them all of their own training. Aqua and Terra had both waited two years after Xehanort was defeated at the Keyblade Graveyard before going for their apprentices and bringing them here to begin their training.

Six years old felt a bit young to Aqua for Sora and Kairi, but, the earlier the better she supposed. Poor them though, Riku loved to teasingly lord it over them that he was a year ahead and that he'd probably get his Keyblade first. That boy... just like Terra. Kairi reminded Aqua a bit of herself, it had taken her a little bit to get over her shyness, but the girl had taken to Sora and Riku quickly, and the trio had become cherished friends. Sora was so much like a young Ven, Aqua had taken a slight risk.

Sora was her apprentice, her chosen, but, she let Ven try his hand at being the kid's Master. It would be a good learning experience for the both of them.

"Alright kids, I think that's enough for tonight," called over Terra, "Go get washed up and ready for bed."

"Aww, already?" called over Sora.

Terra crossed his arms. "I'll get 'uncle' Eraqus after you if you don't."

Ven snickered as the trio yelped and took off. Aqua couldn't help but smile at that, nothing was more terrifying then an angry 'uncle' Eraqus. She had cooled a bit towards the man since her 'talk' with him over what he had tried to do to her and Ven. She wasn't against him helping the three of them train their apprentices. Still...

Aqua glanced at Terra and raised an eyebrow. "This early?"

Terra turned to look at her, an oddly sad glint in his eye. "Yeah, there's something the three of us need to discuss."

Aqua frowned briefly, but said nothing. Had something come up that she wasn't aware about? She glanced back and forth between Terra and Ven, at the sad looks in their eyes.

"Come on Aqua, let's hit the usual spot," said Ven, turning to walk up the mountain.

She followed wordlessly behind them, feeling a little apprehensive. Were the worlds in danger again or something?

No, they wouldn't have waited until the end of the day to alert her to that.

So what was it?

They... had already had 'the talk' about what had happened during the Xehanort conflict, she didn't think they'd bring that up again.

Terra and Ven walked to the center of the summit of the Land of Departure and turned to face her, sad smiles on their faces. Slowly, they pulled out their Wayfinders, both glowing with light.

"Terra? Ven?" she questioned.

"It's time to wake up Aqua," said Terra softly.

She stared at him, confused. "I... don't understand."

"You've been struggling against sleep, or dreaming, for so long now," said Ven, "It's time to wake up."

"Is... this some kind of game? Some kind of joke?" she asked, baffled and confused.

"I wish it was Aqua," said Terra.

"You need to wake up," said Ven, "Xehanort's going to be waking up soon, and you need to be there to help us stop him."

Aqua narrowed her eyes. "The hell are you talking about Ven? I destroyed him! I crushed his heart at the graveyard and scattered him to the winds."

Terra slowly shook his head, pain in his eyes. "I wish that were true Aqua, I wish that we true."

"We miss you Aqua," said Ven, "And your apprentice needs you right now, she's hurting so much."

Slowly, the two of them extending their other hands for her to take, both of them echoing, "It's time to wake up."

The world around her began to distort and warp. "T-terra! Ven!"

Their images began to warp and flicker, she took a hesitant step back from them. "What's going on?!"

As she stepped back, the world seemed to solidify instead of warping.

They reached out for her, desperately. "Don't fight it! Don't go back to sleep, wake up!"

Aqua shook with fear and uncertainty, staring down at their outstretched hands.

"Please, trust us," they begged her.

Aqua hesitated for a moment, before slowly, she walked forward and grabbed their hands. She would always trust her friends. Terra and Ven smiled warmly at her before a blaze of light washed over the area and she saw no more...

* * *

In a pale white marble like land hanging over a black abyss, before a heavy and reinforced door leading into the Realm of Darkness, the ground began to tremble. Heavy darkness began to pool out of the air and condense at one spot. Yet, even in this darkness, deep down, a speck of bright light shined out. Slowly, the energy took a form, took a shape, a human figure appearing. Slowly, skin and clothes began to form, until at last, a young, blue haired woman laid on the ground, unconscious...

* * *

**Final Report**

Status of the Worlds as a whole: The Organization has been completely wiped out, the only surviving Nobodies being those offworld in addition to Axel. Maleficent's hybrids took a huge loss after the World That Never Was was purged. The dust settles for a time as everyone rushes to take a breather. Those who were lost begin to reform, and the worlds brace themselves for the next stage of the story.

**Factions**

The Ascended: Led by Maleficent, they go world by world and forcefully convert those they come across into more of their kind. Maleficent's end goal is the Heart of All Worlds, and to turn the entire Realm of Light into an 'Ascended paradise' for her to rule over.

The Keybearers: Led by Master Terra, the Keybearers struggle to find their place in the new world, and to deal with the repurcussions of the past. With no visible threat to deal with at the moment, due to their lack of knowledge about Maleficent, they find themselves winding down to take care of their own and decide the new roles and responsibilities the must take in the changing Realm of Light.

The Recompleated: Those who were lost to darkness and nothingness find themselves waking up where they fell. Two in particular will change the course of the Realm of Light when they awaken. Yet... all is not as it seems. With so many Nobodies being destroyed, more people should have returned. If a Nobody is destroyed, we know that they should reform if their heart was also freed of a Heartless... but what happens if an Ascended destroys a Nobody...? Will they still reform as they were meant to? Or does something darker... and more fouler happen...?

Nobodies: Very few remain outside of those that watch over the Princesses of Heart. One in fiery Nobody in particular however still stands on the playing field.

Heartless: Their presence weakens day by day, destroyed by the Keybearers, the defenders of each world, and... to the Ascended that hunt them down...

* * *

Answers, journeys, and the fate the world's awaits us in the sequel...

Join us next time in...

_**Aqua: Heart of Pain** _


	26. Secret Movie: Traveler From Another Time

"We are out of time. Neither the union of light nor darkness has been achieved, and we must all return whence we came. But, the gathering of the seven and thirteen is nigh. Let us finish his at the fated place, once your lights and my darknesses have joined together!"

Young Xehanort listened stoically as his self from the most distant future finished his speech and vanished, the rest of them following suit, disappearing from the Round Room in the World That Never Was. He dove down the stream of time, silently thinking about the events he had seen and the things he had learned one last time before the memories were to leave them and he was to take up his destined path.

He was irritated that Riku had actually beaten him in a fight. More irritated that they had not managed to convert Sora into the thirteenth dark vessel. That boy was the key that bound the lights together. If they had taken him, their victory would have all but assured. His most future self remained confident, but, he had his doubts. Ansem and Xemnas were both soundly beaten, again, by the young Keybearers. Even if Xemnas's defeat had been planned, the man had still fallen far to easily to Sora even when they had the advantage of the second sleep they had dragged him into. Ansem... useless Heartless... had been beaten handily, _AGAIN_ , by Riku. The lights were by no means weak, and considering they needed the lights to pull Aqua out of the Realm of Darkness to complete their number... they were about to become even stronger. She had defeated his most future self even after he had turned Terra into a vessel after all.

He sighed and pinched his nose in irritation. "I suppose it doesn't matter. My fate is to live out my destined path, not to concern myself by the what if and the what may be."

_Ripple_

Young Xehanort gave a start as he was pulled towards the edge of the stream of time. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes and focused, finding himself surging down an odd strand of time that broke off from the main one. What was going on? How could a strand of time just... break off like this?

He didn't know, but he didn't want to find out. He tried to correct his trajectory, only to get overwhelmed by the pull. He gave a cry before he was pulled off the main path, vanishing in a flash of light...

* * *

Young Xehanort groaned and rose to his feet shaking his head. "Where...?"

He frowned, glancing around. "Traverse Town again."

No wait... something was off about this Traverse Town. It seemed... different. It was still in the Realm of Sleep for one, even after it's sleeping Keyhole had been awoken. What's more, the placement of the buildings in the first district seemed... off. He stretched out his senses, startled and confused to detect how gigantic this Traverse Town was. It felt like it went on for hundreds of districts!

"What is going on?" he wondered aloud.

He started looking around, only to pause as he came across a building with a sign that said: 'Guardian's of Traverse Town HQ'.

His eyes furrowed. "Guardian's of Traverse Town...? Perhaps I am not well versed in this world's history, but, I don't recall hearing of such a group."

He walked inside the empty building and stared at a board hanging on the wall behind a desk. It listed the names and pictures of those that led the group. At the top, was the man Leon. Curious... he knew for a fact that the man had led no such group. His eyes flickered down, going over face after face until...

"Kairi?" he questioned aloud, baffled, "Adopted daughter of Leon and Yuffie, senior member of the Guardian's since it's foundation years ago...?"

What was this? Kairi had only stepped foot in Traverse Town for a small period of time. She most certainly had not been adopted by those two, having grown up in Destiny Islands.

He crossed his arms in deep thought for a time before he walked back outside and back to where he had woken up. He blinked, surprised to see a small, barely visible distortion a few feet from where he had awoken. He poked it with a finger, and a small portal opened, leading back to the stream of time. He hesitated. He ought to simply go back to his predestined path... yet...

What was all of this?

"Did we misunderstand some rule of time? Is there more to it than we know?" he mused, "I can't say for certain, but, from what I've seen thus far. It's almost as if event's... have played out differently here. It's like time itself broke off and veered in another direction."

And yet... what would cause such a thing? According to the rules he knew, one could not change events destined to happen. So how could this be possible?

He faced the distortion before slowly, he walked away. His curiosity was aroused, and he wasn't leaving until he figured out an answer...


End file.
